Architecture
Ask an architecture student about how their day is going and they will
complain about something they have just been asked to do in studio. They
will then go home and spend an unnecessary amount of time doing justice to
what they have in mind.
As a degree, architecture is divided in two. On one side there is a thorough academic element that is taught through a series of lecture courses which are then reinforced by supervisions on each of the topics. Essays are set and the material is examined at the end of each year, as in any other subject. Lecture courses vary from the historical and theoretical to the technical. In first year a general overview is given in each of the courses, after then particular depth is reached in specific topics in the subsequent years. Arguably, the academic workload is similar to that of many subjects across the university.
Then there is the studio element. This is what the bulk of your time will be spent doing. Hypothetical sites and briefs are studied and responded to with designs that are represented through any number of media; models, drawings, computer work, haiku and modern dance (Joking. Sort of.). These projects are very demanding on all the design skills that you have and will develop, and the process itself is very demanding on your character. Taking criticism well and reacting to it constructively is something that sounds easier than it really is, since your proposals will have been a substantial part of your life for some time! Studio teaching is a mixture of one-on-one 'desk-crits' that happen a couple of times a week and 'crits', which are slightly more stressful affairs in which you literally pin up your work and it is dissected by tutors and visiting critics.
This all sounds pretty tough, and, well, it is. However, it is incredibly rewarding, and though we'd never normally admit it, a lot of fun. I can confidently say that in no other subject will you get to rediscover your childhood by playing with wood, balloons and bits of string. There are also very few subjects that will offer the same kind of satisfaction of having created something.
On the social side, architecture is a complicated degree to study due to the large amount of time that you spend in studio and away from college. At Peterhouse, this relationship is made a whole lot easier due to the department being next door to the college, and as a result there is more than enough time to see college and department friends.
In conclusion, architecture is an incredibly versatile degree that will demand different things from you every day. It is time-consuming, but most of that time is spent doing something that you want to do. But don't tell anyone since we like to keep up our hard core image.
Ed Simpson