Among a recent scare that an important studio would not be offered in the fall and with finals looming, design students continue to work on important projects for studio-based classes. However, these same projects require students to spend long hours in the studio outside of normal class times.
Many students majoring in architecture spend over 26 hours in class for only 15 credit hours, according to Hope Bray, a second-year studying architecture.
Outside of normal class time, architecture students spend around 40 to 50 hours in studio, according to Abigail Gillin, a second-year studying architecture. This means that second-year architecture students spends around 70 hours per week in class or working on assignments.
NC State defines one credit hour as involving approximately three hours of work — in and out of class, according to Courses, Curricula and Academic Standards. For 15 credit hours, a student should spend approximately 45 hours attending class and working on assignments per week.
Some students have said that there is a pressure on them to be working, consistently.
“I didn’t come in yesterday and I have so much guilt,” Gillin said. “You just feel like you have to be here all the time and I think that’s part of studio culture too.”
The students also said that their 24-hour access to studio space, while an accessible resource to students, reinforces the idea that students are expected to work around the clock.
The time students spend in studio also depends on their own work style, with some students preferring to come in early in the morning like Gillin or working later.
“I prefer to stay late than waking up any time before noon,” said Maggie Holroyd, a second-year studying architecture.
Many students regularly spend all night in the studio, according to Bray.
Members of the studio even keep a chart of their all-nighters throughout the semester, which they define as staying in the studio past 5 a.m.
“I pull about one per final deadline,” Bray said. “So that’s four per semester, plus two or three when there’s a lot to do — around one every three to four weeks.”
Even though they spend long nights in studio, Bray and Holroyd said that they are never alone which fosters a sense of community between students.
“It’s always weirdly fun at five in the morning,” Holroyd said.
Bray agreed, saying that the close bonds she feels with her classmates makes the all-nighters bearable.
However, the long hours do create strains in other areas.
“It takes a while to establish balance with your other extracurriculars,” Gillin said.
The recent mental health forum hosted by the College of Design enacted some positive change, according to Nabila Bustillos-Francis, a second-year studying architecture.
“My professor took it super seriously and said, ‘We’re going to take it easy, please let me know if this is too much,’” Bustillos-Francis said.
Students said that professors were generally supportive of them and the work they put into their assignments.
“It’s really self-discipline that defines a lot of things in the College of Design,” Gillin said.
Despite the long hours, architecture students believed that their studies were valuable.
At a recent trip to an American Institute of Architecture Students conference, Bustillos-Francis learned that many schools in the south don’t spend the time on models and drawing that NC State students do.
“Because of that, I feel like I’m getting a really good experience from this,” Bustillos-Francis said.
According to Bray, their studies have changed the way they see the world around them and how they view and solve both architecture and non-architecture problems and the overall experience has confirmed the students’ love for their craft.
“I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t like it,” Bustillos-Francis said.
