Hi badmintonarchitect -
my daughter is an architect design major (jr. yr) at our state’s largest University… She really likes it. She chose to get a Bachelors in architecture design - and then will most likely pursue a masters down the line. She wants to go to a top school for that.
There are maybe 200 kids in the program total, and 3 of them are from her high school. She took many art classes in high school, including AP studio art and it’s been a help. The other two kids from her high school now in her college program both took many CAD/design technical classes in high school; and those have been a help too.
My point: there’s really no right or wrong on going about this all. Get lots of experience in lots of areas; and take some summer camps. The nice thing about getting a BS in arch design is that the program is slightly flexible, and kids can change majors without too many issues in the first year or two. It’s not quite as focused at a BARCH degree.