Why is Architecture School so Hard?

After hearing stories about how hard architecture school can be, and then undergoing the ordeal myself, I graduated asking myself why was it so tough?  Did it need to be?  Why is architecture school so hard?

Architecture school can be very hard for several reasons.  First is the sheer volume there is to learn – everything from design theory to calculating structural stresses on a wall.  Then there is the very time consuming nature of the degree.  Almost all classes are project based, which is inherently very time consuming, with few or no shortcuts.  To top this off, the student body is typically very competitive, which forces professors to grade harshly.

Architecture school is famous for being hard.  Perhaps infamous would be a better word.

Knowing what you’re getting into before signing up is always a good idea – but with some quick searches online you’re sure to find a lot of different answers.  Architecture school can sometimes feel like trying to look into a medieval guild.  It’s shrouded in its mystery and traditions.  People are proud when they graduate from it, and there is a camaraderie among fellow graduates.  You feel set apart, in a unique position in this world.  Well for someone who hasn’t been through architecture school yet, or even for someone who is currently in architecture school, this can be absolutely infuriating!

So I’m writing this to try and remove a few layers of the mysticism surrounding architecture school.  I remember when I was in architecture school, it was tough, but even in the midst of it I had a hard time putting my finger on what made it so difficult.

So let’s dive a little deeper into what the actual factors are making architecture school so hard.

There is a lot to learn

It has become a bit of a cliché, that architecture is hard to quantify as either science or art – it blends the two, and leans heavily on both.  To be able to practice architecture, a designer needs to have a good grasp of a multiplicity of disciplines.  Some of the major ones include subjects such as the fundamentals of design theory (probably the largest of these categories), architectural history, art history, world history, structures (calculating loads), classes to understanding the mechanical side of a building, classes in plumbing, classes to understand the electrical trades, not to mention learning the computer programs now needed to practice architecture such as AutoCAD, Revit, Sketchup, Photoshop, InDesign, Enscape, Lumion – the list goes on.  This short list only mentions some of the many aspects of architecture that need to be taught in architecture school.

It can be very time consuming

Architecture school is primarily project based.  Of course, this changes a lot from school to school, but typically an architecture program will have less exams and tests, and lean heavier on project based grading.  And there is (usually) no way to cheat around these projects.  They take time.  To build a stick-frame model of a small house took me weeks.  It wasn’t something that I could ‘wing’, or stay up just the night before it was due and try to get it done in one night (people would try this every year, and always fail that class).  To create this model took actual understanding of what was required, and lots of time.  And this is not a unique project – in my experience, and many others, it is projects like this that create the program.

So fundamentally, architecture school takes up time.  In a study by the National Survey of Student Engagement (link below), students studying architecture devote more time to their major than any other degree.  In the 13 hardest college majors that the NSSE ranked, architecture came out at the top, with an average of 22.2 hours of work outside of class.  

It isn’t for everyone

Clearly architecture school is not an easy major.  It is wrought with hard project based assignments, stringent deadlines, and the stress that comes along.  In combination with this, architects do not even make as much money as might be expected with such a difficult major (read more about that here).  So why do people study it?

Everyone has a different reason for why they decided to study or practice architecture.  For me, I found that being presented with a spatial problem, and finding an elegant spatial solution, was just addictive.  It is the sort of thing that I can’t get off my mind after I finish work.  And I am not alone in this – many people live and breathe architecture.

“. . .It is the sort of thing that I can’t get off my mind after I finish work.  And I am not alone in this – many people live and breathe architecture.”

To want to push yourself through architecture school, and then practice architecture afterward, with the stress and relatively low compensation associated – well it has to be a passion.  You have to love design.  And if you do love design, and are debating if architecture is for you,  I’d recommend trying it out!  It can be hugely rewarding.  And it can be easy to see if it is for you by taking a class at a local community college in drafting, like I did, or asking a nearby architecture firm if you can job shadow for a day.

Final Thoughts

Architecture school is hard.  There is no way around that.  It is difficult, and once you graduate and move into the real world, it will often not get a lot easier.  Between the sheer volume there is to learn, and the project based nature of the degree, it can easily consume a student’s life for their time in university.  At the end of the day, people who study and practice architecture do so because it is their passion.

If you’re interested in learning more about this, check out these links:

What makes architecture school so hard? – Quora

Architecture school getting you down too? | Blogs | Archinect

Is Architecture School Hard? Here’s the Truth – What Blueprint

The 13 Hardest College Majors to Challenge Yourself (prepscholar.com)