1. DECISION MAKING

What were the subjects you took in JC, and which was your favourite?

I took the JC track, and my subjects were PCME! My favourite subjects were Chem/GP.

 

Which courses/universities were you deciding between?

I was deciding between NUS Architecture, NTU Art, Design and Media and SUTD Architecture and Sustainable Design (ASD)!

 

Did you only consider courses related to art/design? How did you decide on Architecture?

I also considered business but that was my last resort. I mainly considered design/art related courses because I came to realise that I wanted to do architecture from a pretty young age.

I have liked art since young and I was exposed to archi a lot – within my family, my dad is a developer and my sister is an architect; and they both graduated from NUS archi! In addition:

• I wanted to do a course that I really liked (because if you like your course you will naturally be more motivated to do well and will push yourself to do more)
• I don’t like other subjects (like Science and Math) so that narrowed my options
• I felt that Biz was too general a course and had a very competitive environment which I didn’t like

 

What were the other factors you considered when choosing Architecture?

Proficiency in the Relevant Subjects

For archi, I feel like you need to be good at writing (GP). So far I’ve had to write a lot of essays about the History of Architecture. You might have a slight advantage with a physics background as well! I think it’s a slight advantage only for certain modules. For example, for our structure module, we had to build a bridge that can withstand weight on one side – thus, knowing how to calculate moments was useful! Other than that it’s mostly forces – like the transfer of forces in a truss system.

Alignment with my Goals

I guess archi aligns with my goal of providing sustainable, affordable and efficient housing for the general public in the future.

Work-Life Balance

For most, archi doesn’t have work life balance. It’s a very tough career with long working hours.

Starting Pay

The starting pay is decent. I’m guessing it’s around $3500…

Career Progression

My tutor told me that architects usually hit their peak at 40, and that the first 20 years or so will be a lot of saikang so you’ll have to fight for your way up.

 

What were the other factors you considered when choosing Architecture?

I was mainly deciding between archi in NUS vs SUTD. These were the factors I considered!

Overall Ranking Globally (Prestige)

Objectively, NUS had a higher ranking when I was deciding.

How Established the Course is

For this, I was considering how long the programme had been established for. The architecture course in NUS has been around longer and has produced results. SUTD is also not recognised by the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) (accurate as of June 2020), so that would be a problem if you want to go to the UK to practise architecture.

Teaching Focus

NUS: focuses more on critical thinking.

SUTD: focuses more on skills (like technology).

I got this information from asking seniors and my dad’s colleagues (my dad is in the archi industry)! I felt that in terms of training my way of thinking, I could get more out of NUS because I can always pick up skills later on.

Style of Learning

NUS: more “traditional” (especially in terms of model making where we have to use standard materials like wood, styrofoam, etc.; but now there’s also laser cutting which is more tech based!)

SUTD: more technology-centric (their models are mainly made by 3D printing I think!)

I preferred a more hands-on, less ready-made kind of model making experience, so NUS was the choice for me when it came to style of learning.

Campus Life

NUS: to experience the campus life, you need to apply for residential college/halls.

SUTD: you get to stay on campus for a year and it’s compulsory for everyone!

In that sense, you’ll definitely be able to experience campus life on SUTD, whereas for NUS you have to fight for that opportunity, so I felt that SUTD was better in this aspect.

Career

After joining the course, I talked to my tutor and he told me that SUTD graduates are actually more relevant because the industry is becoming more tech-centric as they are looking towards the use of coding in design (parametric design), which is the focus of SUTD. That being said, when talking to my dad’s colleagues, especially those in HR, they said that it’s dependent on the firm’s preferences and most might still prefer hiring NUS graduates because NUS is still a more recognised university.

 

Any advice for juniors making their university decision?

The best advice that I can give is for you to be sure of what you really want to do in life. Please don’t go into the course for the money (of course the salary must still be sufficient to live a decent life) or for recognition because ultimately if you want to stay in the course/industry, you will be driven mostly by your passion. I decided on my uni/course based on my passion for archi/design/art and based on the other factors above.

For choosing between schools, I created a comparison table between the two schools, listed the factors based on order of importance, checked off which school fulfilled which criteria. Then in the end, I compared which school fulfilled more of my criteria!

YOU NEED PASSION TO STAY IN ARCHI!

 

2. ADMISSIONS

How was the admission process like for you?

I had direct admission while some had to go through an interview and test.

I think it could be because I put Archi as my first choice for NUS and my RP was above the 10th percentile! However, this is just pure speculation because I also don’t really know what are the requirements for direct admission.

 

How can you prepare for the interview?

For the interview, you can try to prepare for these general questions:

• Reasons for joining Archi
• Reasons for choosing this uni
• Favourite architect/work
• Your hobbies/What you do in your free time
• Tell me about yourself
• Prepare your portfolio!

For the portfolio, I guess try to include a wide variety of art pieces? I’m not very sure since I didn’t have to submit it in the end.

 

Are there people without an Art background (AEP, SOTA, LaSalle, etc.) in Architecture? Are they disadvantaged?

Yes, there are quite a lot of people without any art background. I would say they are only really disadvantaged in Y1S1 (year 1 semester 1) because you need to do line work for physical drawings. From Y1S2 onwards, it’s more of using 2D/3D software to produce your designs. That being said, having a sense of aesthetics is generally quite important since your design has to look nice.

 

3. TEACHING CURRICULUM

What is the course structure like?

The cohort is split into different studios with around 10 people each. They group a few studios together to form a studio unit. Every studio unit is under a different studio leader (tutor), so every studio unit will be doing different things.

Y1S1

Core modules: Design studio

You will have around 5 assignments, with 2 weeks to complete each one. Each assignment will be covering different basic concepts relating to Archi:

• Order and geometry
• Representation of parti and space + Representation of order and geometry
• Representation of interiority and exteriority
• Structure and forces
• Computational design thinking

You will have modules on ideas and approaches to design. There are also a lot of reading responses and essays as well as learning about structural principles. You need to do a journal recording different types of structures, and even build a bridge and dome that can withstand weights.

Y1S2

Core modules: Design studio

Design studio is mainly about context, scale and precedent studies. The details vary between studio units, but it’s mainly about History and theory of Western archi.

I found it super hard, and there were a lot of reading responses and essays. For example, we learnt about the tropical envelope. You will also learn about constructional and environmental design strategies and have a few assignments related to drawing and model making.

 

What is the format of your exams?

We don’t have that many exams, I only had an exam for the history of Western Archi so far, with MCQ and short answer questions. There were also some essays which were really difficult.

 

What were your favourite/least favourite modules?

The toughest yet most interesting module would be Design Studio because that’s the main part of architecture (design work). The least appealing module for me would be the History of Western Archi.

 

So how is a day like in the life of an Architecture Student at NUS? What were your extracurriculars at NUS?

At NUS, you are required to take general elective modules (GEM). There are 5 pillars in total (GEQ, GER, GET, GES and GEH).

• GEH – Human Cultures pillar
• GEQ – Asking Questions pillar
• GER – Quantitative Reasoning pillar
• GES – Singapore Studies pillar
• GET – Thinking and Expression pillar

You can choose the types of GET, GES, and GEH modules that you like. The modules are offered across different faculties so there are many chances for interdisciplinary learning. GEQ and GER are fixed modules that you don’t get to choose but they are pretty interesting nonetheless.

What is the teaching style like? How does it compare to that in JC/Poly?

The teaching style for uni is very different from JC. For Design Studio, it is basically just 2 consultations per week (1 session for Y2 onwards). The tutors don’t like to spoon feed – they’re just there to guide you, to make sure you don’t go off track and occasionally offer some creative input. Hence, you need to be quite independent in your learning. For other modules, you have lectures and consultations (but to be honest the lectures weren’t the most useful for me; ultimately is a lot of independent learning).

What expectations did you have about your course? Is there anything you like/dislike?

I expected my course to be very tough and have long working hours – this turned out to be true.

I like that the course allows me to express myself and lets me engage in design in many aspects (from the history aspect to application aspect). It is also an environment where you work hard together with your peers/studio mates and this interaction within the Archi community will allow you to learn a lot from one another.

Administration-wise, I think that the way the course is handled has a bit of room for improvement! I feel that the administrative side does not really coordinate with the education side? Or maybe, they haven’t found a solution/aren’t aware of the problem. The same problems have been occurring for years and nothing has changed. For example, each studio tends to be very crowded for Y2-Y5s since they all utilise the same building, resulting in a studio environment that’s not as conducive. There are also insufficient machines for everyone. Otherwise, the course is fine!

 

Are there any misconceptions about your course?

There’s the misconception that there are right answers – but in design, there is no right answer! You don’t have to depend on your tutor for your design. Just believe in yourself and design for yourself, not for the grade.

 

4. CAREER PROSPECTS

How will the career prospects be like by the time you graduate?

The good thing about this course is that you have many lines of work that you can go into once you graduate. You can be an architect, businessman, developer, and so on because the course teaches you many skills across different disciplines. Also, it’s an expensive course because you need to buy your own materials and software. It’s probably only worth the money if you are truly passionate about this career.

I’m planning to become an architect then a developer!

 

Have you decided what you want to specialise in?

No. You can branch out by doing different masters. They offer 3 kinds right now:

• Normal architecture
• Landscape architecture
• Urban planning

For these, you need to make your choice at the end of y3 (if I’m not wrong). Other than that, if you don’t want to specialise in any of these, you can become a developer or a project manager, and so on! An Archi degree is quite versatile. I think it’s worth it, because then you will have the foundations of being a normal architect on top of the skills of being an urban planner.

 

Do you think your school has prepared you sufficiently for post-graduation life?

NUS offers career guidance mods which you have to actively sign up for on your own. However, the Archi course does not teach you software skills (which are needed for the workforce) so you need to independently sign up for courses outside of school/online courses.

 

5. STUDENT LIFE

How heavy is your workload? How much leisure time do you have?

The workload is really heavy. Archi kids barely get leisure time. Design studio is the heaviest subject because design is an ongoing process and we normally strive for perfection and you/the tutors will expect a lot. But if you are willing to sacrifice your design studio and not do as much as your peers, then you will have more leisure time.

 

Do you get to meet many international students/students from other courses in NUS Architecture?

No, we don’t get to meet many international students 🙁 As for students from other courses, you can socialise in your electives, CCAs, halls/residential colleges. Otherwise, you will mainly be interacting with Archi students.

 

What should I like (e.g. working with numbers, presentations) in order to survive well in this course?

You need to be a workaholic and also enjoy all kinds of subjects like Writing, History, Philosophy, Physics, hands-on work, Art, Design and computer work.

 

Any advice for juniors who wish to at NUS in the future?

The university offers many CCAs but I don’t take part in any. If I had the time, I would take part in sports/clubs!

 

Do you live on campus?

I live off-campus. But it is definitely more convenient to stay on-campus and near the Archi studio because you will be working there until late at night so it will save on travelling time.

 

Are there people who regret entering Archi? What do they do if they realise that they do?

Yes, I know of at least 10 people who have dropped out already. (Archi has the highest dropout rate out of all courses, I think). They normally drop out ASAP and enter FASS (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences) or other courses which do not require as much catching up. If you are uncertain about Archi from the start, you might want to reconsider taking it – because you might end up unhappy and would waste your time.

 

In your opinion, is there any particular type of student that is most suited for this course?

People who are passionate about design and willing to work hard.

In my opinion, you have an advantage if you have a background in art. Also, note that you need to spend your own money to buy materials; more-well off students naturally can afford to buy more and might have an advantage. (e.g. if you’ve more money, you’re able to make more models than others – but then again, quality over quantity!)

You also have an advantage if you have connections (to seniors or people already in the industry).

 

Any final advice for juniors who wish to study Archi at NUS in the future?

Good luck kids. But also make sure you choose carefully before joining and be mentally prepared for the workload and criticism ahead!