I grew up with the idea that I had to be a perfect concoction of artist and academic if I wanted to be in architecture school. This became evident when it came to my GCSE’s but more importantly in my choice of A-levels.
There is nothing wrong if you are. But you don’t have to be. I wasn’t.
I decided that it would be a great idea to do A-levels that I thought I should be doing.
They were A-level Maths, Chemistry (Physics originally but GCSE results day chose for me otherwise) French and Fine Art. Bear in mind there is nothing wrong with these choices, if you do pick them. The problem for me though was that these were subjects that were…
a). Subjects I was the least passionate/interested in.
b). Subjects I weren’t even good at ( I would try to convince myself otherwise but deep down the truth was I wasn’t, I just wanted to be.)
Long story short, I struggled. Struggled hard.
Looking back what I had deemed to be the greatest blend of subject choices was just a perfect disaster waiting to happen.
There are many lessons I took from this (one being that college is just not for everyone).
But the most important lesson here?
I didn’t need to do any of these subjects. In fact the only subject that most universities in London required as the entry point for any Architectural degree (BSc or BArch) was Art, not even Fine Art, at Level 3 (A-level equivalent).
What I failed to see was that I needed to do the subjects that I was most passionate about. I should have done my research thoroughly because the perfect choice of A-level subjects didn’t exist…Not for me and not for anybody else I encountered once I completed my three years.
Simply put, you need to do Art - to learn to be an artist and to be skilled in whatever other subjects are both available to you and you enjoy because at the end of the day, you need UCAS points and a portfolio.
Studying A-levels/ Level 3 equivalents are already tough on their own, so let’s not complicate this process.
The education system cannot teach you to be creative, that is something you find on your own. It does however equip you (one way or another) to learn skills - technical or otherwise that better prepare you for learning other skills.
So at this point your probably thinking I haven’t made this 16-18 year old’s choice any better, or have I ?
Do social sciences if you like them… or maths and the sciences… whatever floats your boat. Don’t be fixated on the perfect combination. I ended up redoing the year choosing the route that felt right for me - Sociology, English Lit, Art (I really did not like Fine Art one bit) and AS Geography. By no means was it easy (it never is, rumour has it is the hardest two years of your life) but it was so worth it, I was doing written subjects that made me fall in love with learning again. I ended my A-levels having a greater thirst for the world around me plus a portfolio to go with it.
Study the choices that you are most passionate about and that you are strongest at (Are you better at essay writing? Are you better at exams?). If you aren’t so sure about which subjects, look at the subjects that are most reflective of both your strongest skills and interests. These are good indicators that you should follow.
I hope that this discussion has been somewhat informative and helpful!
Feel free to comment below if you have any questions, or if you want to share some of your experiences, would love to hear what you have to share.
A quick disclaimer: All of the advice I have made above is subject to my own experience of getting onto a Part 1 Architectural Programme in the UK, and may not be applicable for other countries even if they are accredited by the RIBA.
Here are some official resources that you may find useful for more specific advice that I may not have covered in this discussion.
https://www.ucas.com/ucas/after-gcses/find-career-ideas/explore-jobs/job-profile/architect
https://www.architecture.com/education-cpd-and-careers/how-to-become-an-architect