Architecture (DN100)

Exo

With the significant 15% increase in first preference CAO choices, not many people seem to be discussing the topic.

I, for one, have Architecture (DN100) as my first preference choice this year. Am I making a disastrous mistake? Should I just do what I love and let it kill me?

Are there any students currently doing Architecture in UCD, or recent graduates with feedback on their course/job experiences? It's still a strong choice that many of my close friends and relatives disagree with. I'm afraid that I would have to inevitably move abroad to pursue such a career.

Not sure if I'll get much of a response, seems like a very scarce course choice.

chowder123

Just finished 1st year of architecture in UCD. I'm sure you know it's a busy year..can be very challenging at times and frustrating too but it's one of the most fulfilling courses out there. If your an artistic person with a creative mind you'll take to the course no bother. You are kinda thrown in the deep end in first year but it's amazing the amount of stuff you learn and how it affects your view of almost everything on the outside!

The year is normally small enough with around 70 people at the start. Making friends is simple and you soon become a really close group which always helps. However many who start don't end up finishing the year and go elsewhere which can be disruptive when you've settled in.

Be prepared for longer hours than any other course and your friends elsewhere will have less than half the hours that you have! But if as you say it's something you love then this will not be a problem.

Something i didn't realise when i was in my first year was the fact that there is a lot of essay writing involved in the course! Its not all model making, sketching and mechanical drawings. Essays become part of the workload which can be irritating but for the most part they're interesting subjects with something to be gained from them. Physics plays its part too so time dedicated to studying a few figures will be necessary when the exams come round.

not sure if can advise you too much on the job front and working abroad... its part of the course that i personally look forward to. its a course that allows you to travel the world which isn't particularly a bad thing!

hope that helped in some way..

Exo

I greatly appreciate your input. Architecture definitely sounds like a course I'd be fitted for - I wouldn't see myself leaving. As long as the essays do not involve Shakespeare or any form of poetry, that's fine! :rolleyes:

Your post could have been the reassurance I've been looking for, better make the most of these few weeks leading up to the LC! Thanks again.

PaperArchitect

Exo,

Architecture is a very rewarding and interesting career. The education of the architect is used as a precedent for other disciplines such as medicine and it makes the student very aware of the world, and particularly of your own abilities. As students, we are very aware of the shortcomings of the education in our own schools and education and we know where to and how to bridge the gap ourselves. If after 3 years you decide it's not the right discipline for you, then you have already received a very good education.

On my year out, I went to Zurich for an internship, as did many other in my class in DIT. While there are internships available in Ireland, few are paid but it is also advisable to leave, learn new ways of thinking about architecture and maybe even a new language. There are always job opportunities for those who really want them, but you need to work hard and also have a genuine interest in architecture.

Once qualified, I intend to move abroad for a while, as an architect you'll want to see as much of the world as possible. But I don't intend to stay away forever. I know when I come back I'll find a job, you just have to have worked hard and demonstrate how interested you really are in order to get the job you want.

SuperRobotWars

Hi,
I put UCD Architecture down as number 1 on my cao however I only received 470 in my leaving and the points this year are 490 . Is it likely that I'll get in? Currently I accepted a place in DIT but I have heard mixed opinions about the college. Sorry for bumping the thread.

PaperArchitect

SuperRobotWars wrote: »

Hi,
I put UCD Architecture down as number 1 on my cao however I only received 470 in my leaving and the points this year are 490 . Is it likely that I'll get in? Currently I accepted a place in DIT but I have heard mixed opinions about the college. Sorry for bumping the thread.

Hi, Unfortunately the chances of you getting UCD in the second round isn't very likely, but possible in subsequent rounds perhaps. I wouldn't hold out for it however. DIT is a mixed bag of things, but the architecture school is as good as UCD's. For me it almost feels like a separate entity to DIT, we have very passionate and good lecturers. While UCD do have a big alumni of great architects, DIT have a lot of very young promising firms, such as TAKA. Of course UCD is a better university than DIT, but I've been seen both end of year shows and the quality of work is at the same level.

SuperRobotWars

Thanks for the response PaperArchitect. To be honest at the end of the day I just want to study Architecture :P. And many students say its about the course not the college. Its just that UCD is closer to me and the campus is nice and compact and not spread out like DIT. However people have told me that you receive your degree from Trinity if you go to DIT, do you know if this is true? Also are you allowed to travel anywhere on your erasmus or is it only in Europe if you go to DIT? Thanks for all your help

PaperArchitect

Pre 1998 all students received their degree from Trinity college. However DIT isn't structured like other Institutions and since 1998 it now has it's own awarding powers. For example a student studying business in LIT would get their degree from the Higher Education Authority, students in DIT get their degree from DIT. I'm not certain about the technicalities of this but all you need to know is that you will get your Bachelor or Masters in Architecture from DIT once you qualify.
Like other universities and school of architecture DIT has agreements with other Schools of architecture in Europe. Lucerne and Bern in Switzerland, Aarhus on Denmark and there are others in Germany, France, Spain and Sweden. My opinion of the Erasmus is a bit different to others however as I feel it's not necessary so long as you take a year out in between 3rd and 4th year to get good experience in an office or offices and try to immerse yourself deeply in the architectural culture of another country. That's just me, many people think an Erasmus is vital.
In years to come DIT will be all in one campus but you will probably have just graduated by the time architecture moves to grangegorman.
I think UCD school of architecture is being led by better and more suitable people however, such as Hugh Campbell and John Tuomey, whereas in DIT there are people who have managed to make their way to the top but there are far better people for the job. We are lucky that we have a great number of passionate and good architects in the school however, so if it's DIT you end up going to, just embrace it and make the most of it. At the end of the day studying architecture in either DIT or UCD, there isn't a majorly different quality of education than if you chose to study in the ETH or Mendrisio which are two of the best architecture schools in Europe. Anyway I'm getting off point. You'll be grand.

pitapattern

Hey, I'm in their year of secondary school and I know I'm young but I definitely want to have a firm grasp on college courses by the end of TY after seeing many people just scramble to a last-minute decision under the stress of the LC.

I've wanted to be an architect since I was very young and I'm relatively sold in it as a career. What I want to know is the reality of many aspects of the course, can it be quite tedious and trivial at times? What can you do with just 3 years or 5 years without having to do 8?

I would most likely go to UCD, points permitting of course! I'd think I'd be capable of somewhere in the 540+ region and is this manageable if the points continue to go up?

Thanks! Info on similar careers or other colleges is also welcome ✔