Architecture VS International Development
Hey Guy! This weeks post is going to be another post part of our Student VS Student series, with our guest Malika Arshad. She is a International development student at University and we are going to each answer same questions to see similarities and differences between our degrees!
Q1) Briefly introduce yourself and your degree
Elif: Hello! I’m Elif, one of the co-founders of Archidabble and I study BA Architecture at the University of Westminster. I will be completing my second year of my Part 1 in May 2021.
Malika: Hi! My name is Malika and I’m a second year student studying BA International Development at Kings’ College London.
Q2) What does your current timetable/ schedule look like?
Elif: My current schedule is all online. I have studio days twice a week, Wednesday’s and Thursdays from 11am-4pm, but within that time I only have one 30-40 minute tutorial. Depending on your studio, the days might differ but the quantity of studio days per week remains the same. Alongside this, we have Detail Design Study (DDS) tutorials and lectures on Monday, additional talks on Thursday’s and my studio presentation talks on Wednesday evenings. Bear in mind this is my current schedule with only a design module and DDS. Semester one was a lot busier with a History module, Technical module, Environmental Design Study (EDS) and the Design module altogether.
Malika: Currently everything is also online for me. Prior to Covid-19, the academic year would have in person teaching with 2 hour lectures for each module followed by an hour seminar and sometimes workshops! Yet now we have pre-recorded lectures so the work dynamic has changed quite a bit. Personally, I am an active learner so I prefer how it was in first year. At the moment I take four modules. Quantitative Approaches to Research, Macroeconomics for Development, International Business and Migration and Development. The first three modules have the same structure, which is as follows: pre-recorded lectures (40 - 60 mins), reading (core and additional materials which take about 1-2 hours to complete), worksheets to do in advance of the seminar based on readings and lecture, and finally an hour long live seminar. Whereas for my fourth module, which I have on Fridays, I have a set of reading to complete and a two hour live lesson.
Q3) How have you found the transition from first year to second year?
Elif: Overall I think the transition was okay, there wasn't anything that changed significantly. The history and design modules are formatted pretty much the same in 2nd year. Having said this there is definitely more emphasis on the technical module, however this was expected. The part which I struggled with the most was the change in the teaching format in design studio. This is subjective and will vary from studio to studio as it depends on the way your tutors teach, however there was a big change in the way my first year tutor and second year tutor teach which caught me off guard. I definitely work more like my first year tutor so I felt quite displaced for the first few weeks of 2nd year as I struggled to understand the way they were delivering information. However, I just went along with it and eventually adapted to their teaching method. This caused me a lot of worry and stress in the first month or two as it was really difficult to adjust, but I just had to get on with it and express to them that I like to be quite organised and know what is coming up next, whereas they teach by delivering the brief in a more bite size, ‘as you go along the way’, format.
Malika: The transition has not been that bad. I think it was beneficial for us that first year didn't count towards our degree, because we had a pillow to fall back on and refine our skills. In this way I felt that the transition was better compared to the transition from A-Levels to university as it wasn’t as steep a jump. Instead, we understood what was required in a degree and how to approach our learning better / where to find support. One thing which I did find difficult, was shifting from class based learning in first year to online learning in second. With the material being more advanced, expectations as second years is higher. Combining this with the fact that this year really counts for a large percentage of my degree, it was initially quite overwhelming trying to manage everything. I found that the best thing to do is to talk to someone, especially module tutors. Even when struggling with a deadline, they can support you in helping extend the deadline or develop your understanding of the work. Another thing which helped, that I am grateful for, is the network of friends that I was able to build in first year. This really helps when transitioning into second year because you have people going through the same things as you. There have been many times this past year where we have set up a zoom call to study together and be productive or supportive towards each other when it came to planning our days.
Q4) How are you assessed?
Elif: Unlike most degrees, my course is based on coursework only, which means that we don’t have any timed exams throughout the 3 years. The majority of our submissions are in portfolio formats. In 2nd year we have two design projects, environmental design study (EDS), detail design study (DDS), technical module (optional for portfolio format) and the history workbook all of which are submitted in a portfolio format, although the content displayed across all the portfolio submissions were very different to each other. Aside from that, we have to submit one essay and a presentation as part of the history module.
Malika: My degree is very interdisciplinary with Economics, Politics, History and Sociology as the foundations of material, hence why it’s almost entirely essay based. For most of the modules we have to do part coursework and part exams. Given online restrictions, these exams are now 12/24/48 hour exams (depending on module) where you have to write a set amount of essays in the given time frame. You are not expected to use the whole time because that would be unreasonable to expect, so in reality it’s not as stressful as it sounds but still requires adequate preparation like any exam you would undertake.
Alongside essays, my course is evolving and developing new assessment methods to support our learning, specifically online learning. For a few modules I am assessed on participation. This includes class engagement and contribution, as well as online padlet completion ahead of lessons. As I mentioned, I really enjoy active learning so this method suits me well even though it is a very small percentage, it encourages thought provoking discussions and debates (15%-30% depending on module). Moreover, I take an external module ‘International Business’ in the King’s Business School and a percentage of assessment in that is a group project, where we have to deliver a presentation, report and submit a plan sheet. Finally, in my first term of second year we had a portfolio submission as part of our Qualitative methods. The portfolio consisted of different research approaches we would eventually use for our dissertation such as ethnographic research, interviews, participant observation. I guess that is one thing I like about my degree in particular, there are a broad range of topics and even a broader variety of assessment methods which keeps things very engaging for me.
Q5) Have your A-Levels helped you throughout your course? If so, how?
Elif: I did A-level Maths, Art & Design, Geography and AS Biology. Surprisingly the A-levels which I think helped the most have been Art & Design and Geography. Art & Design has been helpful for obvious reasons being that it was experimental. I had a chance to express myself creatively and explore mediums which help me now with visual representations. However, the one that shocked me has been geography. In architecture you do a lot of client research and site analysis to build a strong foundation to your project. You design for people which is where the biggest cross link happens with geography. When doing human geography at A-levels we looked at urban regeneration and demographics which has really helped me when undertaking site analysis. Studying case studies of how urban regeneration introduces buildings and infrastructure which affects demographics has been helpful in considering what to include in my site analysis, which would later affect my design proposal. In addition to this, my history essay this year looked at urban regeneration, where my A-level knowledge came into good use.
I haven't really used what I learnt at AS biology. With maths it is always a contributing factor as we work with scale and measurements on a day to day basis. Having said this I can’t say I’ve used binomial expansion or any other A-level math. It’s mostly basic maths with scaling, converting between measurements and using formulas to work out outputs like the energy use of a building. Whilst maths content from A-level isn’t directly applied, the mathematical thinking has definitely aided me in solving problems.
Malika: I did A level Maths, Economics and English Literature and AS Spanish. I genuinely think that all my subjects have helped me to this day for different reasons. English has provided me with extended essay writing skills (although university structures are slightly different) and helped me become more well spoken. Economics gives useful foundational knowledge on macroeconomic understanding and means I'm familiar with some of the theoretical approaches in advance (Phillips curve, Lorenz curve, wage curves). Similarly, maths supports the compulsory quantitative modules as well as some economic concepts. Given that my course is ‘international’, having Spanish actually helps for some of the Latin American modules but it is not essential at all. However, I do think when considering career paths typically associated with my course (such as UN/WB/NGO’s /research roles) having an additional European language can be incredibly beneficial for your resume and skill set.
Q6) What kind of opportunities does your course open you up to?
[career-wise, personal development]
Elif: Architecture is a course that is built on learning and developing a variety of skills. Simply because architecture is associated directly with being an architect, studying it as a degree doesn’t close off other opportunities. Being a course that requires networking and a variety of skills, the opportunities career-wise are endless as you can branch off into journalism, the design industry like set design, teaching, management etc…
Malika: Career wise, the opportunities are endless thanks to the interdisciplinary nature. Many students go into government roles, political careers, civil services and even financial services. A large majority of individuals look into the UN or WB type of positions as it directly applies what we learn. Equally, international organisations such as NGOs, social enterprises, Aid and humanitarian work is also common. I am grateful for my course administrators frequently holding career talks with alumni who have studied the same things we are doing- it opens doors to us and informs us about what opportunities are out there beyond academics. Considering personal development, I am very open to furthering my education as well. I would definitely like to do a masters to stimulate my intellectual curiosity even more. my course is beneficial in the sense that it is incredibly broad, so I can specialise into economics, politics, sociology and even more. The course being very multifaceted facilitates a variety of academic paths and disciplines to take thanks to the different elective module options. Besides that, it also opens up to a lot of global volunteering opportunities to help build your personal achievements.
Q7) What is the value of networking in your subject area?
Elif: Networking is key in architecture. Forming connections with other students and individuals in the architecture community is so important as it helps to find more opportunities and start discussions for key topics concerning the concept of architectural practices and education. There is also an element of support that being a part of the community brings. Architecture is a difficult degree so being able to relate to others in the same or similar position to you is comforting and sometimes gives you the boost that you need. The university has frequent networking events that would be an easy way to start meeting people, but also participating in course based events, speaking to the older years on your course and talking to your tutors and lecturers are all ways to create contacts as they will most likely have a wider circle of connections. Personally for me starting this blog has really helped form connections and be able to work with others in the same industry as us. Something which I have recently created is a LinkedIn profile which is very useful in finding people and connecting with others in the same industry.
Malika: I remember in the first year our course hosted a networking get-together with all the year groups (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th) years and the different lecturers. It was incredibly valuable to meet with other senior students doing my degree and talk about their experiences. Ranging from topics such as how they are finding the course, future plans, years abroad and more! Without a doubt it remains a fond memory I hold of my first year because I truly felt part of a group of individuals with similar academic approaches and enthusiasm to what we learn. I was also able to understand why networking (especially with your own lecturers and teachers) is essential due to the opportunities and information they can provide you with. The professors are banks of knowledge and exceptionally resourceful, plus I find that they want to help you as well! Therefore generating an interest in the people around your course can be extremely helpful for you in personal development and considering a future outlook.
I must admit however, LinkedIn is my best friend! It is so easy to find people, connect, and drop them a message to get a conversation going. Not only is it easy to start building a network of people but you also develop yourself by seeing what inspires you and what career opportunities are out there. Especially in the digital age, I feel that finding innovative ways to create a network is so important.
Q8) What kind of extra-curricular activities would help you with your profession?
Elif: Personally, I think architecture related extracurricular opportunities are quite limited. You could join your universities architecture society (Westminster Architecture Society - WAS), attend extra talks to network with new people and perhaps register to model making and sketching workshops to improve your skills. This year I have been proactive in reaching out to firms to see if I could do an internship or shadowing placement over summer. If it works out it could be a great opportunity to meet people in practise and learn from them.
Malika: Having an interest in working with people can help your career prospects greatly. I even found playing in many sports teams throughout my school years supported my ability to collaborate effectively, this helps in future projects you may have to work on. Volunteering is also a good practice to involve yourself in! Particularly joining societies (in or outside of university) will bring forward opportunities to volunteer such as fundraising, bucketing and more! Not only does it help others so much but you learn a lot about how to make a positive impact on the world. Plus it's so fun because you sometimes work in big teams and meet new people.
Q9) Has COVID-19 affected your expenses for your course?
Elif: Personally, the pandemic has positively affected my finances as I am not spending money printing A2 sheets for crits, I don’t have to pay for a travel card to get to university and I am not paying to use laser machines for models. Just those factors alone have saved me almost a grand. I do however still pay for model making materials as I am making site and conceptual design models, but this is no different from first year.
Malika: I have saved a lot of money not having to travel or eat out at university. But considering I live at home and have a printer (black and white) I have actually not spent as much as I used to. I would usually pay £30 each week minimum on a travel card and on top of that food each day.
Q10) Do you have specific career or further education plans in mind?
Elif: As of right now I do want to go on to complete my Part 2 & 3 to become a qualified architect in the UK. This is a long journey and will take up many years so ideally I would really like to travel with my job, not only gaining experience in the UK but working with people and firms elsewhere. Once I’ve gained that experience and I am financially comfortable, I would love to open my own firm, but as I said, this can always change as I don’t know what will happen along the way!
Malika: Career-wise I think I would like to immediately go into a role in the financial industry because I want to understand the intricacies of global finance and professionally excel in banking. In the long term prospects I imagine myself taking on a career path as mentioned above, something humanitarian and international organisation focused. Combining this with banking is quite appealing to me and having studied topics such as microfinance, IMF Debt obligations and global financial systems, I think my area of interest is definitely in this field. However, later in my life I definitely want to independently work on my own development project or start-up. I think this requires financial freedom and intellectual awareness which is why I initially want to work in different roles to build experience. However, despite having a plan in my mind, I am still ‘going with the flow’ and seeing what I feel is right at every opportunity. The idea to do a masters is also definitely something I would like to consider!
Q11) How much time in a day/week do you find yourself putting towards university work outside of contact hours?
Elif: Outside of contact hours, I spend the majority of my time working on my uni work. The workload is sustained at the same level throughout the year, where my timetable is pretty packed. I can say that I am spending most of my time during the week and on the weekend working on university work during the day, but also in the night closer to the time of crits. There isn't a certain number of hours that I can say to summarise how much I work as it varies week to week. Having said this I still make the effort to do things which are unrelated to university work whether that be getting on with the blog, going for a bike ride or attending an event.
Malika: Considering I only have 5 contact hours this term (3x 1 hour seminar and 1x 2 hour lesson), I have a decent amount of time to complete my work. Yet combined with society commitments, and extra curricular uni activities, it can be challenging to manage everything. However, I find making plans at the start of the week around the contact hours really helps structure your studying. For each seminar/lesson I try to allocate at least 5 hours to include studying the required texts and watching the lectures whilst taking notes. Admittedly, in practice that does not happen and is quite optimistic of me to expect I will actually do that. My two mottos are ‘Work Smart Not Hard’ and ‘Diamonds Are Made Under Pressure’. Without fail I have been able to do well with those in mind and I honestly think spending excessive amounts of hours towards university work gets so toxic easily. Having balance with life and uni is important because you need to enjoy yourself while you can!
Q12) What do you find the most difficult about university life in general under COVID-19?
Elif: The thing which I have struggled with a lot this year has been motivation. I work from my room, so I have been finding it extremely difficult to separate my work space from my relaxing space. This combined with other factors has just led me to be unmotivated not only in my university work but also in other parts of my life. Quite naturally, this has had a negative effect on my mental wellbeing and at times it can be demoralising and stressful. It’s only recently that I’ve been feeling more motivated and therefore more productive. I’ve found speaking with friends over FaceTime and really thinking about what I want to achieve and what I'm doing to pursue those goals has really helped me to partially regain that motivation.
Malika: Finding motivation and inspiration can be hard when there is a lack of human contact. Personally I get very enthusiastic and excited when there are day to day interactions with my peers, friends or even teachers. Not having that experience or ability to socialise in person can really have a negative impact on work and mental health. Equally, building a structure and routine throughout the day can be challenging. Usually if I was to go uni, I would have the whole day ahead of me prepared and I feel good being outside of the house, ready to go. Yet having to be at home week after week and expected to maintain a level of focus/commitment on work is hard to maintain. It gets draining really easily. I find talking to people and interacting as best as I can with others helps mitigate the side effects of uni life under Covid and helps cope with it.
Q13) What’s the most exciting part about your course?
Elif: My favourite part of the course is the middle-end of the design process in the studio. As my ideas start to solidify and settle you begin to make decisions that start building the foundations of your design which I find quite exciting. It is challenging and time consuming but moving on from conceptual drawings to start drawing your orthographic’s and visual representations, is something which I really enjoy, especially if I like the brief.
Malika: The content! I absolutely love the knowledge I get from my course and the way it literally re-educates me on many things I've learned throughout my academia. Our university has a big emphasis on decolonising the curriculum and I feel my course is extremely well rounded in that sense. I have done modules such as ‘Contemporary issues of development in the Middle East’, ‘Economic Analysis of Emerging Economies’ and ‘Development issues in South Asia’, which all really deconstruct the Eurocentric narrative created around development and world orders. It really has changed my perspective as well as outlook on how I see the global landscape, down to the mere definitions of calling a country ‘less developed’, or even why we call it the ‘Middle East’ (middle east of what? The west! ). Often I will learn something that will have me thinking for days (such as why does Germany have the highest number of refugee intake in Europe, or why marginalised communities still democratically vote for political parties that have policies which discriminate against them in India?). These are very topical, current and fascinating matters which intrigue me immensely and re inform my conceptual understandings of the world.
Q14) What advice would you give to someone who is transitioning to second year?
Elif: My biggest piece of advice for moving into second year would be to spend a good amount of time over the summer break to learn digital representation software’s. This is something which I planned to do but never got around to doing. I really wish I had learnt at least more Rhino as it would have helped me out a lot with modelling and rendering especially as we are online now, there seems to be a bigger emphasis on this. Having said this, also make sure to take a break from architecture as it can be very overwhelming and you are going to have your hands full throughout the whole year so you might not have the chance to catch a proper break until next summer!
Malika: Even if you don't do anything, at least attend the seminar. You might feel useless because you haven't been able to prepare things in advance, however feeling overwhelmed is only temporary and you can always overcome it! Like I said before, Work Smart Not Hard’ and ‘Diamonds Are Made Under Pressure- just try to keep resilient and focus on why you enjoy this in the first place! Also have an open mind and spend your time researching new opportunities/roles to take on.
We hope you enjoyed this week's post, looking at the differences between BA Architecture and International Development as part of our Student VS Student series! Thanks to Malika (@me_malika) for giving us an insight into what it’s like studying International Development. We are looking forward to sharing more Student VS Student posts in the future. To stay updated follow us on Instagram at @archidabble and if you have any suggestions or questions that you would want us to include next time make sure to comment under our Instagram post or email us at dabbleenquiries@gmail.com. See you next week!
