<p>I’m thinking of majoring in arch as i am a good math and science student and love designing things. How difficult is this major and how difficult is the math/science.</p>
<p>Start your investigation with a review of the [Association</a> of Collegiate Schools of Architecture Students](<a href=“https://www.acsa-arch.org/students/studentsguide.aspx][i]Association”>https://www.acsa-arch.org/students/studentsguide.aspx) web page.</p>
<p>architecture is arguably the most difficult major at the vast majority of schools that offer a BArch program. they also say that the “archies” are up all night and pull numerous all-nighters. However, after discussing with an ND student, she said that arch. majors are the worst procrastinators, so they bring a lot of press upon themselves. </p>
<p>It is still a very tough major, but still workable with good time-management. It is not going to be a breeze though.</p>
<p>By far the most time consuming major there is. There is always room for improvement…meaning endless hours of design. I’d say its up there in the very difficult range, but by far not impossible. Just takes a LOT of discipline and dedication (cant be offended easily either, because during critiques your panel loves to hate if it isn’t innovative and amazing). You will definitely have to love it to succeed, yet if you are creative it is easy to love :)</p>
<p>To echo what cinamint stated, you have to be able to be willing to realize that there can always be something to change and modify in your design. There are also usually several times over the course of a semester that you have present you project thus far, where the class and professors will make suggestions, so this is almost like a debate class. </p>
<p>But the most important thing for an architecture major is time management. The teacher can ask you about what you are doing at any point, so you have to constantly be knowledgeable about what you are doing. If you manage your time then you will be all set. </p>
<p>While it is time consuming (and days when it is great outside and you are stuck in studio are the worst), one great advantage (and for some what turns them away from architecture) is that there is never one correct answer, you just have to be able to defend what you did and make it appeasing for the client (in this case the professor). Additionally for studio classes there is no cramming for final exams, because by the time you are done with a project you know it so well because you have been working on for a several hours a day. I have heard there is much less cramming and nerves at the end of semesters for architecture students who have managed their time.</p>
<p>The other great thing is that you’ll know a large circle of people by being with them all hours of the day and night. So, it’s a little cultish but it’s a great environment. It does take discipline and not everyone is cut for it. You’ll know early if its the thing for you or not. For example, when I was working on my thesis, I was in studio from 6am-4am (with an hour or two of sleep a night) from March 24-April 15. The two hours were for a bike home, a shower and to come back. </p>
<p>It’s not just about revisions, though you will be doing a lot of that, but the nature of the program requires a lot of time for production. A model can’t just be thrown together as it’s very evident to you, your peers and professors when it is. </p>
<p>I can guarantee that you’ll lose lots of sleep, will cut yourself a good number of times but if it’s for you, you wouldn’t have it any other way. </p>
<p>The math and science are not that hard as it’ll be taught in a way that makes sense for what you’re doing in studio and later in the profession. Mostly simple physics and geometry. </p>
<p>And believe me, you would probably much rather stay up all night working on a model than writing a paper. </p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>that is a good point - would you rather be writing all night or working on a design all night. However, i think that hyperionblue is over-stating the difficulty. This may be the environment at that school. However, at a majority of colleges, if you time manage, then you will be fine. Additionally, some schools (like ND) don’t put you in studio immediately and they let you fulfill general requirements first year, which is a nice adjustment.</p>
<p>Well, yes, that was MY scenario but similarities do exist at many schools–especially during final review times at the end of each semester. </p>
<p>I would refer you to the AIAS’s studio culture efforts which was started because of a tragic death because one student drove home after pulling many all-nighters in a row. Since then, many efforts have been put forth to change the status quo of intensity of architecture studios. Time management is an issue but the fact still remains that an architecture student should plan on an extraordinary amount of time spent within the school. Architectural education is not completed within a convenient window of four hours, three days a week.</p>
<p>If this were not an issue at “a majority of schools”, it would not have become an standing criteria of accreditation to address issues of studio culture–namely the time and environment within.</p>
<p>i will definitely back that it is not like an average class, and that is why at many colleges it is worth twice the credits of an average class (at ND regular classes are 3 credits, studio for arch. are 6 credits). You could say that is double the amount of time, but this is still a little to the under-estimating end.</p>