Although I am still undecided about which major I will pursue, I recently had a very insightful opportunity to learn more about Ohio State’s Architecture program. After getting the opportunity to hear about it from Skyla Leavitt, a recent OSU graduate who majored in Architecture and minored in Landscape Architecture, I gained a new and more beneficial perspective as to what being an architecture student here is truly like.
When I met with Skyla, one of the first questions that I asked her was about what led her to choose Architecture as her undergraduate major. She told me that there was no exact moment that she made the decision about what to major in. Rather, she thought that she wanted to do architecture since as early as sixth grade. When she visited Ohio State during high school, she loved it and wanted to study architecture here. She said that once she started the program, it worked out and she never ended up wanting to switch majors.
In order to learn more about her experience as a student in the major, I then asked Skyla if she had a favorite course in college. She said that her favorite class was a fabrication course, which was a class that she took for her Landscape Architecture minor. She added that the landscape classes that she took weren’t solely focused on design qualities of landscape; rather, they focused on larger ideas applicable outside of landscape architecture. For instance, the fabrication course that she enjoyed focused on concepts such as 3D modeling, 3D printing, and laser cutting. The creative freedom that came with the class was what she liked most; she said that other similar classes that had creative liberty were her favorites.
Next, I shifted the focus to extracurricular activities. I inquired about what experiences, such as internships or study abroad, benefitted her professionally. She spoke about how she traveled abroad during her freshman year with a program that was actually led by the lecturer I have for my architecture class now. Skyla went to Barcelona, Spain and said that she would highly recommend studying abroad. She said that it changed her entire experience in architecture because it was so valuable to see such a different culture. She said that she would have loved to do a study abroad program again, but had a difficult time affording it later on.
Skyla also talked about research that she did for the expansion of Hale Hall, here on campus. She said that she had to research the landscape, the history of the over 100 year-old building, and the Cultural Center that was moving into the building. These were just some of the many factors that they had to take into account. Skyla had another interesting research experience, which was for the house of the president of the Jesuit University of East Africa in Kenya, which involved factors such as landscape, climate, and the important functions he would need of his home.
Skyla then told me that she worked because of a paid internship toward the end of college and also after graduation, so I asked her about the day to day responsibilities of her job. She worked in a firm in Dublin, Ohio. She said that it was nice to be paid, but there was quite a wide range of responsibilities. She spent much of her time drawing plans, elevations, and doing renderings. Specific drawing techniques were something that she had to pick up during her time there, and she said they were a very important part of her job at the firm. Basic office skills were a large component, too.
As our conversation was drawing to a close, I lastly asked her if she had any advice for a student like me who is interested in becoming an architect. She responded by saying that it most definitely is not something that you can just do on a whim. You have to be sure about your decision. She advised taking the freshman studio course to determine if architecture is the right fit. Dedication is key, a lot of work is required, and it can be very stressful and overwhelming. If you truly love it, though, none of that will matter in the long run because you will be doing what you love most.
This great feedback exemplifies how helpful the interview was. I am glad that I used the Senior Bank to find someone with an Architecture major because I had always heard people talk about the architecture program and how challenging it was, but had never actually talked to someone who experienced what it was like to be an architecture student. What made me even more interested in Skyla in compared to other students in the Senior Bank was the fact that she also had a Landscape Architecture minor, and I would probably do the same if I majored in Architecture.
After getting to talk to someone who went through the entire program, some of what I learned was indeed unexpected. For instance, I did not know that the first architecture studio course is so challenging and plays such a pivotal role in determining whether an Architecture major is a good fit. I was also surprised by the fact that she felt as if her Landscape Architecture minor hardly taught her anything about landscape. She said it was composed of only four courses, but I still expected it to give at least a somewhat in-depth background of the subject. The other main piece of information I learned that surprised me most was that being in Honors doesn’t make the program much more difficult. Skyla said that the main difference was that the professors taught recitations instead of teaching assistants, and there were more required classes. She said that she hardly noticed the additional classes because many of them she personally would have taken either way. Finally, what surprised me most was that Skyla said that an undergraduate Architecture major is not necessarily restrictive. The design skills learned open up doors to a wide variety of graduate school majors. She said the major is more versatile than it is given credit for. As for careers, there is also a wider variety. For instance, fabrication is a growing field that uses similar skills to architecture.
Despite gaining this new insight, the interview has not strongly influenced my major or career exploration. I am still in almost the same position that I was in before because nothing that I learned was monumental enough to sway me either in favor or against architecture. I am looking forward to taking the first architecture studio course, though, which should help determine if I want to continue down that path. Skyla talked about positive and negative aspects of the major, such as creativity and stress, but neither stood out to me enough to make a decision. In order for me to make a confident decision about this major/career, it sounds like the studio class is key. Skyla said that if it is too much to handle and is not enjoyable, then an architecture major isn’t the right choice. I also want to learn more about internship opportunities and what they are typically like. It would be nice to learn about job prospects throughout different parts of the nation and see what architects get paid in different states, too. Additionally, I’d like to see what recent architecture graduates from Ohio State have been doing. More specifically, I am curious if they get accepted into prestigious schools.
Even though I am still undecided about what major to chose, this semester I had several exploration tools and resources that were very helpful to me. Aside from this interview, there were the weekly lectures covering OSU’s different colleges. The several that I went to were beneficial because sometimes they introduced me to majors that I hadn’t considered or known anything about. In these cases, it was helpful to gain a better understanding of the opportunities available to me, and also learn about opportunities for all students in areas such as study abroad and research. Hearing students’ perspectives is always beneficial. Another helpful way of narrowing down options for majors was from survey class when we went through the list of majors in the Exploration Workbook and crossed off those that we would never want to do. When deciding which ones not to cross off, we weren’t supposed to take into account how realistic they were or any other outside influences that might deter us from them. This was a nice way to show myself what subject areas truly interest me while excluding outside factors like salary. Lastly, probably the most useful resource this semester consisted of the college overview videos. That is because they were very detailed and gave a solid summary of applying to the major, being in the major, and possibilities for the future.