Architecture VS English
Welcome to the Student VS Student series that will compare the university experience of two individuals from different degrees! The series consists of posts that compare similarities and differences in routine, likes, and lifestyle maintenance such as finance. It will also help to give a comparative perspective and to understand the behind the scenes of different degrees. This first post will focus on many aspects of the university experience from time management, modules and general advice for upcoming students. It is a conversation with myself, Elifnur Uluçay, an architecture student, and Martha Bowsher, an English student at the University of Cambridge.
Q1 - Brief introduction about yourselves
Elif: Hi guys! My name is Elif and I have just finished my first year studying Architecture at the University of Westminster. My undergraduate course is called BA Architecture, it is accredited by RIBA and ARB and it lasts for three years. I am located in London and I will begin my second year of study in late September.
Martha: My name is Martha and I study English Literature at the University of Cambridge. Like Elif, I will be going into my second year and I’ll be staying at Cambridge. It is a total of three years and at the end, I’ll be getting a BA if all goes to plan.
Q2 - How are you assessed throughout the year?
Elif: Architecture is a practical course, therefore we have no timed exams. This means that for all three years of my degree, my grades are assessed through coursework. In the first year, this covers both design portfolios, a technical study, a history coursework and a digital segment that teaches you software like Adobe, Rhino and Vectorworks. In the third year, in addition to all these modules, we also have to write a dissertation.
Martha: Unlike architecture, most of my work is essay based. We English students are notorious for our impracticality. I may be able to write a 2,000-word essay on Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales, but do not ask me to change a lightbulb. For the first two years, each term is focused on a period of history, such as the Renaissance or the long 18th Century and in the third year, we have to write a dissertation whilst studying modules of our choice.
Q3 - Does failing on one module affect your study next year?
Elif: The course that I study is accredited by RIBA and therefore when studying, passing and failing is assessed through their criteria. My course splits into many modules varying from design to digital skills and some weigh more than others and count for more in the final grade. Despite the varying significance of each module, it is compulsory to pass every single one in order to move through to the next year. This means even if you surpass the pass mark for a module that accounts for 70% but fail a module that represents 10%, you have to resubmit in order to pass the whole year. This can be really frustrating, however it allows for you to build strong foundations in multiple parts of the course.
Martha: Fortunately, it is only the last year of my degree that actually counts to my final grade. We do, however, have to pass an exam each year to continue onto next year. It is an overall grade for the entire year so you could be saved from failing one part of the paper with an exceedingly high score elsewhere.
Q4 - How long are your terms / how many semesters do you have?
Elif: At the University of Westminster we follow a similar calendar to many universities and have two semesters - the first semester begins in late September till December and the second semester runs from January to late March, with final submissions in May. Also, despite having essential and further reading lists for technical and history modules, architecture courses are very packed and therefore they do not have a reading week.
Martha: Again differently, I have three terms. Each is only 8 weeks long because Cambridge prefers to get lots of work done in a shorter amount of time. While this teaches a strong work ethic, many students are petitioning to get an additional reading week put in to minimize stress-levels and improve mental health.
Q5 - How many essays are you set per term/semester?
Elif: We don't have set essays as such, however we do have submissions such as two design submissions, one in Sem 1 and the other is Sem 2. The only essay you get set in the first year is in your history module and it is an essay you research and work on for three months. Aside from essays, there are many deadlines between weekly tutorials and regular crits.
Martha: We will get set 8-12 essays depending on the term. We write an essay a week for our module supervisors. Our work is marked and within a day of sending it in, we have a meeting with 1-2 other student(s) where we discuss each other’s work and the subject more generally. Alongside these meetings, we have a weekly meeting for Practical Criticism and Critical Practice. This course looks at the close reading of work without acknowledging its context and for this we may be asked to write shorter essays.
Q6 - How many times a week do you have lectures?
Elif: Luckily we have a very practical degree and we only have 2 lectures per week. One for the technical module and one for the history lecture. However, every other week you also have a digital lecture, where you are taught the basics of the software.
Martha: English emphasizes an individuality to essay writing so we have around 14 lectures a week, but are expected to choose which ones we think will help our essays or that we are excited by. I would go to between 4-10 in a week depending on what I am writing or how busy I am.
Q7 - Do you have anything else during the week which requires work to be handed in for?
Elif: In the first year, you have two seven hour (9am-4pm) days that are dedicated solely to design studios, these are called studio days and always require work in order for you to have a tutorial and receive feedback. If you turn up without a new or improved idea it can become a negative and stressful experience for you, as you will have to talk to your tutor with nothing new to show, therefore slowing down the design process. Aside from presenting work weekly, you are expected to further explore your proposal out of studio hours. Once every two weeks we are also required to complete work for sketchbook studies. This schedule can become very overwhelming and difficult as it requires a lot of independent hours of hard work and determination.
Martha: We often have supplementary classes given by our module supervisors to help us write strong essays. In our first term we had to hand in a weekly translation of medieval English and our second asked us to explore Renaissance primary sources to evoke discussion about their attitudes, including a rise in Natural Science and the importance of London.
Q8 - What are your modules for the first year?
Elif: In the first year you have four main modules:
CC1: A History of Architecture - this requires a submission of a workbook and an essay
TS1: Introduction to Technical Studies - this requires an orthographic and model study
DES1A: Introduction to Design and Skills - this is made up of Sem 1 design portfolio, Digital Skills (Adobe InDesign & Photoshop) and Sketchbook Studies.
DES1B: Design Materials and Fabrication - this is made up of Sem 2 design portfolio, Digital Skills (Adobe Illustrator & Vectorworks) and a material study.
Martha: We study the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Shakespeare in our first year.
Q9 - Are there any extra-curricular/ lectures at your university that help you with your degree?
Elif: At Westminster, we have the Westminster Architecture Society (WAS) which is a group of students that study or have an interest in architecture. They plan events and lectures throughout the year where everyone is welcome to attend. In addition to this, there is a lecture series every Thursday for most of the year which is organised by the technical studies department, where they invite guest speakers. Aside from this, as a part of the more national architecture community there are always opportunities to get involved with online competitions set by a large variety of organisations.
Martha: There are quite a few options. We were taken to a play in ancient Greek by our college English faculty and we were going to see a performance at the globe before lockdown. Many of my friends attended a creative writing club that is open to all students. These are also many writing and essay competitions set by different colleges to encourage an interest in literature outside the curriculum.
Q10 - With your degree, do you feel like you get a reasonable amount of free time?
Elif: This is a hard question since when it comes to architecture students there is this perception that you will have no time to do anything you like or something on the side alongside your degree. It is true that we are required to be at university four times a week which can be very demanding, however if you manage your time wisely from the beginning and you plan to attend events and commit to activities that work around your existing schedule, it can be manageable. There might be a few late nights, long hours and a few sacrifices made along the way but it’s definitely doable!
Martha: Of course, I am ultimately grateful for the opportunity to study a degree I am so completely passionate about but having said that the workload can be demanding at times. The constant stream of assignments asks for high stamina while the general atmosphere of high standards makes ignoring imperfections difficult. However, over the last term I have not been able to work as hard as I am used to. This really has shown me a new perspective on my degree. I have started to make rules about when I have to stop work and accept Cambridge’s’ strict time constraints are not made to facilitate perfection.
Q11 - Does your course have a lot of expenses?
Elif: Studying architecture is an investment for me and many of my peers as it can be pretty expensive. There are a lot of variables to be considered that may affect your finances. This ranges from monthly paid subscriptions for software, materials for model making and a constant supply of equipment to store and draw your work. Some of my biggest expenses from the first year have been towards my laptop, due to its high capacity of storage, RAM and a large 15” display and the continuous software payments.
Martha: English does not require such specialist equipment. Of course, the largest expense was my laptop. Second to that has been to secondhand books. While at university, I was able to use their fantastic libraries, but being stuck in lockdown, given the current climate, has meant that I have had to purchase many books for last term, which I am lucky to be able to afford.
Q12 - Are you studying your degree with a specific profession in mind?
Elif: With an undergraduate degree in architecture you can go into many professions that are still design related despite the speculation that all architecture students want to become architects, as you gain skills in many different sectors. Having said this, I personally don't think it is worth studying architecture with intentions of looking for an opportunity in a different field or for fun because it is a demanding and networking based course. Personally for me, I would like to study through Part II and Part III to become a certified architect.
Martha: I wish I were! Unlike architecture, there is not a clear path for English students, except publishing, writing, and becoming a lecturer. I think I would like to further my education after my degree, but I strongly wish to do something meaningful and helpful to society.
Q13 - Does your workload vary across the academic year?
Elif: To put it simply yes. As a coursework based degree, the whole year is very dense with large amounts of workload and a hefty quantity of deadlines. But towards the bigger deadlines such as the January, March and May submission you can definitely sense an overwhelming feeling of urgency, panic and rush in the studios as everyone starts to improve old pieces of work, create new portfolio sheets, add to 3D models and do as much as they can in the build up to the deadline.
Martha: It is quite steady. Each week we start a new essay so we do not have a build-up of work which could be the case in a more coursework-based degree.
Q14 - How many times is it compulsory for you to attend uni in a week?
Elif: In the first year it is required for you to attend four times a week (compulsory), however most students such as myself do come in 6/7 times a week (yes, on the weekends) to catch up on work or to work in a more quiet environment.
Martha: We must attend our supervisions unless you have a reasonable excuse. Our lectures, however, are not monitored so we are only accounted for twice a week.
Q15 - If you could retake the year what would you change?
Elif: Personally, if I was to do the year again, I wouldn’t get worked up about the first three introductory briefs because they were very basic and they only existed to teach us the foundations of scaling and orthographic’s. I would take it more as a learning curve and reduce my stress about not knowing how to draw, which could easily be any new architecture student's nightmare. Additionally, I would be more careful about who I choose to be in a group with as it can be very difficult and frustrating to work with people that don’t care as much as you. Other than that there’s not much I would change. This question really varies on everyone's own individual experience but as for myself, I feel as though I worked hard but I also had a very good time with my mates and there's not much I would change.
Martha: Like Elif, I had some fantastic times this year. While I definitely stressed in the first term, I still managed to carve out time to meet great people that I feel incredibly lucky to still call friends.
Q16 - If you have coursework, how many times are you allowed to submit or have a formative assessment with provisional grades?
Elif: With architecture students this is a sustained concept throughout the year. So, where you get feedback constantly at crits and tutorials, for our design module there is one submission in January and one in March. When you submit in January and March these are both formative marks and don't count towards your final grade. However, they are assessed against the same criteria as the final submission in May. Receiving a formative grade and feedback can be very useful to improve your work and to understand your strengths and weaknesses. It also gives you time during the Easter break to improve your work. For other modules like history you can only submit each section once and that’s the final grade, unless you fail. In that case, you are given a second opportunity to resubmit.
Martha: N/A
Q17 - Do you have any ongoing subscriptions/commitment to an organisation that helps with your degree?
Elif: The main paid subscriptions you have as an architecture student will be for software. However, aside from this you can subscribe to many architectural magazines like Dezeen, Arch Daily, DETAIL magazine and of course RIBA, the Royal Institute of British Architects, in order to have quicker and easier access to their resources like the library in Marylebone.
Martha: I do not have any subscriptions. My supervisors have been sending us links to resources. In fact, I watched a talk this morning on a Shakespeare folio that could have been read by the revered poet Milton! I have also been making use of the free plays and performances on YouTube. The Royal Ballet’s A Winter’s Tale exceedingly helped me understand the emotional intensity of the Shakespeare play it was based on.
Q18 - Do you feel it is a regular need to stay up long hours and pull all nighters?
Elif: Being an architecture student comes with many perks. However, there are some let downs such as having to do all nighters. For me, it was different to most people in my year as I saw many of my peers struggle to produce the quantity of work needed or the quality they wanted for the deadline. Now, I won’t lie, I had quite a few all nighters, however most of them happened during the year rather than in the days approaching my deadline. This is mainly due to the fact that I like completing work when it's given and I am continuously working on my projects throughout the year when I have free time. When I do pull all-nighters, I do it for a few consecutive days and then I take time to rest without crashing. I believe this can be quite difficult for some people and would recommend staying on top of things to prevent unnecessary stress and frustration and to reduce the number of all-nighters you will feel the need to do. Architecture is a very time and energy consuming course and you do have to love it otherwise the already long hours will feel even longer and this can become very mentally and physically straining.
Martha: In my first two terms I definitely did. My regime could often start at 6am and I wouldn’t sleep until three or four in the morning as the late evening was the only time I had to see my friends. I cannot and do not want to ever pull an all-nighter. My brain just stops working after 1am and I am always amazed to see people still in the library after 4am.
Q19 - What would you say was the best and worst part of your course?
Elif: For me, one of the best parts of my course was the feeling of relief and taking time to relax to treat myself after crits. The lead up to crits would be quite stressful and there would be self-inflicted pressure to make sure I got my points and reasonings, behind my project, across well. I also really enjoyed combining technical studies with my design work and thinking about the structural context whilst designing. Personally, there are many more good qualities and features of my course, but the memories that stand out the most would of course be the many delirious moments after long hours of work on the weekend with my friends and some Deliveroo:) Parts of my course which I did not like, was mainly the teaching method. For example, our digital skills module was taught in a lecture format, whereas I think it would be more effective if the teaching method was through small groups as the lecture hall makes it difficult to follow and ask questions. This is also a valid point for sketchbook studies where we didn’t have a class setup with desks which was quite frustrating. Other than this I really enjoyed my course and the outcomes of the first year.
Martha: The essay feedback and constructive criticism is very constant because of the weekly essays. This makes up a huge part of my learning and progress as I am not allowed to plateau or lose momentum. However, it has taken me a while to build up a more resilient confidence about my academic abilities. The best part has been seeing a genuine change in my quality of writing. I feel more confident in self-critiquing them and recognizing their flaws and strengths.
Q20- Is there something you might recommend for a new student to do before the academic year starts?
Elif: Some recommendations I have is to sketch, sketch, sketch! One thing I underestimated about architecture was that you need to develop skills to sketch in a very short time. They don’t have to be perfect but it must still show you a feature or quality of the object/building. For example, you might be walking past a building and you will have 20 seconds to compose what you want to say about it into a rough sketch. Another thing might be to learn what scaling is. So what 1:20, 1:50 means and really understand how to read and convert between different scales, as I felt quite lost and stressed at the start of the year.
Martha: Read as much as you can! Do not worry about what it is as long as it challenges your brain, looks at a new point of view and excites you. The skill of reading and thinking hard about a text is a key skill in an English degree. The essay and secondary criticism can sometimes be overwhelming, so it is a real positive to have a firm confidence in your own interpretations of primary reading.
We hope you have enjoyed the first post of the Student VS Student series and that it has been helpful for those in need of a comparison or just general knowledge on one of the two degrees. We are looking forward to sharing more Student VS Student posts here on ArchiDabble!
If you have any suggestions or questions that you would want us to include next time make sure to comment under our Instagram post related to this post at @archidabble or email us at dabbleenquiries@gmail.com. See you next week!
