studio to a halt .

It's Wednesday, but not just any old Wednesday. It's Final Review Wednesday for architecture. All of the hard work, all of the sleepless nights, all of the missed-out-on fun, all of the energy drinks and cups of coffee. 8 or 10 weeks of hard work on one single project, and it's all for this one day, this review in front of about 3 or 4 people, that will criticize you, tell you all the things you did one, and maybe if you're lucky, praise you a little bit.

Seems a bit ridiculous doesn't it? Welcome to architecture.


I think the weirdest thing though, is how abruptly it all ends. We work so hard all semester, struggling with sleep schedules, trying so dearly to fit in activities for fun, and we work endlessly and tirelessly (well, maybe not tirelessly) up until the final review. And afterward, the relief begins to ooze over you and you can finally blink with eyes that have glazed over over the past 72 hours. Your hands can stop shaking and your neck can relax again from being so tense. Maybe a massage might help?

And as you walk home from studio that day, decked from head to toe, the sun shining and all others simply going about their business as you internally celebrate your semi-victory of at least finishing the project, you can't help but think, what next? For the first time all semester, you will have free time. What the heck is that? And more importantly, what do I do with it?

But that relief is something I look forward to every year. That overwhelming feeling of joy when you put the finishing (and often last-minute and rushed) touches on your project. Though the review itself is stressful, I feel like it is not nearly as bad as actually finishing the project itself.

But the strangest thing is the buildup in contrast with the halt. When you're in architecture, you see everyone all the time. You get used to who pulls the all nighters and the late nights, and you form a sort of common bond, simply because you're all stuck there in studio, working away. As miserable as it might be to feel stuck there all the time, that camaraderie is something I will surely miss over the summer. Because as soon as reviews are over, studio is empty, just like that. And a lot of those people quickly disappear. I feel like all those long nights were ages ago, and we'll all forget about each other for the summer, until another new year starts.

Oh, the life of an architecture student. I don't miss the work, but I do miss you guys.