Biting Off More than I Can Chew?
Published: April 10, 2021
At Penn State, conducting Undergraduate Thesis research is condensed into ONE SEMESTER. As far as I know, most, if not all, of architectural programs require Thesis projects to span a whole academic year.
Understandably then, our Thesis projects should be half as refined and profound if they are half the duration of their counterparts.
I refuse to follow along with that however. I want my Thesis project to be just as profound—if not more so—than other soon-to-be graduates.
I am pushing myself to condense the clarity and ability to provoke thought of two semesters of work into just one.
Format of the Thesis Course
At the time of writing this, I have just concluded the Thesis Development Review (post-Design Development), and I am working towards the final review.
Prior to starting my own, I had no delusions about how rigorous conducting an Architectural Thesis was. I knew I was signing up to bury my nose in books and experience long nights in front of the computer. I understood that, unlike other Studio courses, it included a period of surveying, researching, and drafting a problem statement—tasks equally as strenuous and time consuming as actual design.
So, if Thesis projects have double the workload and expectations of a typical studio class, I would stand to reason that it should also be double the duration . . . except, it isn’t.
Thesis Project is Half of the Typical Duration
At Penn State, conducting Undergraduate Thesis research is condensed into ONE SEMESTER. As far as I know, most, if not all, of architectural programs require Thesis projects to span a whole academic year. Understandably then, our Thesis projects should be half as refined and profound if they are half the duration of their counterparts.
I refuse to follow along with that however.
Despite the time constraints, I want my Thesis project to be just as profound—if not more so—than other soon-to-be graduates. I will make sure employers are aware that the project was a nontraditional one semester format.
And yet, they may still subconsciously judge my work up against students who had double the time as I did. I will not leave it up to chance. In fact, during an interview with HKS for a summer internship position, the employer stated his disbelief towards the amount of presentable work I had.
Pedal to the Metal
I am pushing myself to condense the clarity and ability to provoke thought of two semesters of work into just one. It is incredibly tough. But not TOO tough.
During Winter Break, before the beginning of the semester, I doggedly researched between Holidays to define an architectural problem to address.
At every presentation, I’ve had roughly double the amount of drawings and images when compared to my peers. Of course, the timeless adage of quality over quantity still holds true. I’ve ensured that each of my presentational drawings are up to the same standards as my classmates’. Whereas my classmates typically have 20 or so slides (the class was conducted over Zoom), I’m always on the verge of OR exceeding 40 pages. Site analysis alone—being in Antarctica, understanding the environment and geology is paramount—is usually the length of their whole presentations.
Remote instruction offers a great amount of flexibility, allowing me to reside in Florida this semester. On the flipside, that means I do not have access to my usual facilities and equipment. I had to do a bit of scrambling and creative thinking when the professor requested I build a physical model. Nevertheless, I assembled a model. In fact, I was the only student to assemble a model the entire semester.
So, have I bitten off more than I can chew? No, but it has been quite a frantic semester.
As a silver lining, this Thesis semester has taught me a great deal about time management and the importance of work-life balance.