Choose wisely

Choosing which degree to study at university is one of the biggest decisions of your life. It’s the point when you need to consider who you want to be in the world and what do you want to do with your life?

It’s an exciting yet also a slightly nerve-wracking time.

Which would be so much easier if there were GCSEs or A Levels in subjects like architecture or engineering, but unfortunately there aren’t.

So how can you know for sure if a course you have no experience of:

• will suit you
• if you will like it
• or be any good at it

if you haven’t been able to try it first?

Choosing the wrong course has real world consequences

And getting it wrong, choosing a course you know very little about, which you are unsure if you will even like it, or be any good at it, and then finding out it is not for you, has real world consequences on both your mental and emotional health as well as on your finances.

I don’t want this for you. Not if there is another option.

My Background: 

As an Associate Professor and the Head of the Year 1 Architectural Design Studio at the University of Nottingham (2004-22), I was responsible not only for the academic success but also the duty of care for over 3000 architecture students during my 18 years of teaching.

The architecture degree at the University of Nottingham: 

• offers one of the best architecture degree courses in the UK. Sitting consistently in the top 10 in the Guardian League tables.
• is highly respected by the industry, ranking joint 3^rd AJ100 survey in the 2020.
• received a rare commendation from the RIBA in 2018 for the way Year 1 helps transition students from school to university.

In my role as the Head of the Year 1 Architectural Design Studio, I not only successfully took students from knowing relatively little about architecture, to accomplished designers in 9 months, but I also gained considerable insight into the highs and lows of students experience, as they transitioned through the first year of their studies.

Course Content: 

What you'll get:

• 7 Days of Lessons & Accompanying Practical Exercises
• 2 Bonus Modules
• Fortnightly Live Q&A

Each days lessons (and bonus modules) are released each fortnight from 16th Sept 2024. Each live Q&A session is held immediately prior to the next days lessons being released.  

• Day 1 - Drawing Perspectives
• Day 2 - Experiencing Architecture
• Day 3 - Clients / People
• Day 4 - Site Context
• Day 5 - Natural Light
• Day 6 - Representation Techniques
• Day 7 - Design Process

Bonus Modules:

• Bonus Module 1 - The architecture course
• Bonus Module 2 - University vs Practice

The cost of starting a degree you aren't sure about

Studying for a degree usually costs between £16,000 and £20,000 per year (depending on where you study in the UK).

Starting a degree you aren't sure about, then dropping out during the first term or failing at the end of the first year, could leave you with a debt of anywhere between £6,000 and £20,000. 

Which is one of the many reasons I created the 7-Day Insider's Guide to Studying Architecture course, so you can spend a relatively short amount of time and a comparatively small amount of money, deciding if architecture is the right fit for you before you start university.

The unforeseen costs of continuing on with a degree you dislike

I’ve seen a lot of very bright and capable students suffer because they choose to continue studying architecture even when they know it is not the right course for them.  

Once the joy for their subject goes, and the energy and enthusiasm drains from them, it becomes increasingly difficult for them to put in the time to produce the work. When this happens:

• their grades start to suffer
• they begin to miss lessons
• they begin to fall behind

and it becomes harder and harder to catch up.

Being an excellent student before you start university, then seeing your grades slip because you just aren’t enjoying the course, can knock the joy out of you.

Which, again is why I created the 7-Day Insider's Guide to Studying Architecture course. To give you the option to choose to study architecture, knowing that it's the best fit for you.