The Second Studio Podcast: Should I Go To Architecture School?

The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by Architects David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features different creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions.

A variety of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are tips for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. The Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.

This week David and Marina answer the question, “Should I go to architecture school?” The two cover the relevancy of college/university, the architecture school experience, if studying architecture is needed to practice architecture, if having a degree helps with getting a job, preparing for architecture school, choosing the right degree, the cost of architecture school, and more.

Highlights & Timestamps

Is college/university needed in general? (00:00) 

The architecture school experience: Typical courses, challenges, community, misconceptions about architecture education. (08:40) 

Non-architects tend to think architecture school is much more technical than it is. You learn technical things for sure. You learn about software, you learn about building systems, and architecture practice in general. But honestly, 90% of the education is learning about design—the creative side of architecture. Students wash out because they don’t expect [design studio] to be so inward-looking and undefined… it’s that lack of definition [that people don’t expect]. Architecture is not paint-by-numbers. (13:46)

The most important things learned in architecture school. Is architecture school difficult? (18:56) 

Preparing for architecture school. (30:40) 

The things I would recommend do to prepare for architecture school, if anything, would be to take creative classes like sculpture, painting, figure drawing… or even dance. Take things that have to do with expression and creating something from nothing—that have to do with the process of being genuine, understanding yourself, and making a statement. (32:30)

Is architecture school different architecture practice? (36:12) 

Student loans and debt. (42:44) 

A lot of people think that architects are making really good money. […] For the average architect working at an average office as an employee, no, you’re not making a lot of money. Compared to other licensed professionals like doctors or lawyers it’s not a lot of money. (47:36)

Do you need a degree in architecture to get a job at an office? (49:00) 

Is there an ideal age to attend architecture school? (54:49) 

Is architectural education beneficial if one doesn’t practice architecture? (58:08) 

Architecture training is pretty general in a way that it will open up a bunch of doors of interest that you might not even know when you start architecture school. […] You are exposed to so many different things. There’s real estate, urban design, sociology, anthropology, geography, sustainability, interior design, and philosophy—there’s a ton of philosophy in architecture. Architecture is this uniquely broad education that forces you to figure out how these different things intersect and what they mean in powering the design of physical thing. How do all of those things inform the creation of a house? It’s crazy! (59:00)

Is architecture school needed to become a licensed architect? (01:01:51) 

Check out The Second Studio Podcast’s previous editions.