test

Spend 4 more years in undergrad studying architecture? Sure! 

So its early 2018; I graduated from Sheridan College and I've spent a cumulative of two years at an amazing workplace - what are my next steps? NasDaily's says it best, "when life is good, make it better". 

My original plan ever since I stepped foot out of high-school was to study architecture and to "become an architect". I didn't really understood the depth and amount of commitment required of that statement at the time. But nevertheless, I applied to a bunch of universities back in early 2014 -- I got rejected to all of them. However, Sheridan College embraced me with open arms and introduced me to a program called "Architectural Technology". 

The 3-year program at Sheridan College was definitely a required stepping-stone for me to fully understand architecture, through a technical lens at least. And I'll never forget the life-changing job opportunity I received while studying there. I was accepted into a company called DesignABLE Environments, who also introduced me to a whole different way of viewing the built environment and architecture as a whole -- through the important implementation of accessibility.

Then a professor introduced everyone to an opportunity of transferring into Boston Architectural College after graduation. The whole plan was to fast-track the architectural education system and to earn a Masters Degree in a measly 2-year term. It was a great opportunity for sure - and a handful of my college friends are now studying there. However, I felt as if I was missing the "core" of learning architecture by fast-tracking it - and I took a few months contemplating what the ideal path looked like for me.

And in the end, I figured out that I need to wholly attend a Bachelor's Degree in Architecture as a basis for me to understand what I meant by "becoming an architect" - and if this is truly something that I wanted. My decision didn't also rely heavily on cost implications of studying in the US either. In fact, I sought to learn more about architecture, its history, meaning, and theories - and weighed the importance of spending time in University rather than fast-tracking it.

My experiences at Sheridan College was extremely rewarding as it laid the foundation of my university applications - and it supported my background as a determined student willing to learn more about architecture. To my surprise, University of Toronto was actually the first to respond. Followed by Carleton University, Ryerson University, and then University of Waterloo. Why the university application system sought out my high-school grades was beyond me. But that's another topic for another time. 

So now I'm on the path of no return. University is definitely different than college in terms of lifestyle, learning outcomes, and how the overall class systems are laid out. So far so good though! It's definitely a rich experience since the beginning, and I'm currently learning about the "implications of the wall" and "meat-space" - for context I misheard my professor say this but I'm pretty sure my professor said "meet-space", although I heard "meat" the first time I heard it... the ARC181 class is weird but very enjoyable). ​

> Click here to watch NasDaily's TedX Talk on "Turning Life from Good to Great". 

---