Version 2 :)

Tia Penn

In the CAP studio there is a lot to take in; desks, student work, and clutter. There are desks designated to each student. On the desks you will discover energy drinks, as well as the student work, and a drawing board. The desks are cluttered. The chairs are chained to the desks, and the supplies are locked up. The desks are separated into sections; each section is its own little family. Hanging from the walls are a multitude of inside jokes from the sections. On the walls student work is displayed. During holidays you can also find decorations hanging in each section. This is one aspect that gives the students a family feeling. There are no windows to the outside of the building, thus it is named “the basement in the sky.” In the studio there are couches.

Version 1 :]

Tia Penn

Walking into the first year CAP studio there is a lot to take in; desks, student work, clutter, and so much more. First of all, there are large desk designated to each student. On these desks you will find lots of energy drinks, as well as past work of the students, and a large drawing board. Many of the desks are cluttered and unorganized. The chairs to the desks are also chained to the desks, and the supplies are all locked up. The desks are separated into sections; each section is its own little family. Hanging from the walls and ceilings are many inside jokes from the sections. Also, on the walls of the studio student work is displayed. This includes many drawing and diagrams. These drawings are everything from black and white tiles of abstract pictures, to colored space diagrams. During holidays you can also find decorations hanging in each section, pumpkins for Halloween and lights for Christmas. This is one aspect that gives the students a family like feeling. There are no windows to the outside of the building, thus providing it with the title “the basement in the sky.” In the studio there are couches for students to rest on during their frequent late nights. There is always at least one student working in the studio at any given time.

Weekkk SiX :D

I can draw a few basic conclusions while observing my subculture. The general conclusions I can draw from my community as of right now are…
1) The students have a lot of work before them and spend a lot of time completing projects, they are hard workers.
2) The community is like a family. They are very close with one another.
3) They are working towards one general goal, becoming professionals [for example: architects, landscape architects, or urban planners].

I believe that if I traveled to other universities and studied their architecture programs I would find the same general trends. Architecture is a difficult program at many different institutions, and I believe that the work load and time consumption would be about the same. This increases students’ work ethics. Plus, the time they spend together makes them close with one another. The job requires a lot of time and effort, thus the architecture programs are preparing the students for their future as professionals.

Boxxx 12 ;]

Spending my time in the studio has got me thinking about my privledges. I head up to the studio when I have free time and while I'm there I take notes and sit worry free on the couch in the room. When I am tired I head back to my dorm and study a bit then go to bed for the night, many times I sleep anywhere from 8-10 hours. This is a privledge to me. Many of the architecture students', that I have been studying, lives are dictated by the demanding schedule their program has set before them. Sunday my roommate went to the studio at 1:30 pm and did not get to sleep until 11:30 pm Monday. She was up for 34 straight hours working on 3 drawings. You know what I was doing most of this time...sleeping :) My schedule allows me the privledge to be care free and places minimal stress upon myself.

Weekkk 5 ;]

Thus far for my project I have gathered quite a bit of information. I have done a lot of interviewing so far. I have interviewed my roommate as well as a two male and one female architecture students. I have found out a lot of personal opinions and views of the intense architecture program. I have not gotten as many facts through them, but that should have been expected when interviewing three peers. To gain statistics and facts on architecture students I have found articles using a variety of databases. It is challenging to find facts specific to Ball State University, but not too difficult to find articles linked to architecture majors in general. The general information can be linked to my study because I am in fact studying students in an architecture program. I have yet to find statistics and facts specific to BSU. I hope to find information comparing BSU architecture program to other universities. My next place to find research will be the BSU architecture library.

Questioning my field notes [Box 8]

I, from time to time, have visited the architecture building to check on my roommate keep her company. Doing my field study over architect majors has allowed me a purpose to be in the studio, and gave me a chance to really observe what was taking place.

What suprised me
I went to the building rather late on a week night to observe students working on a project. I in my comfortable clothes expected the students to be working comfortably in t-shirts and sweatpants, when I got there I was shocked to see many of the female students in high-heeled shoes and nicer clothing, while many of the boys were in polos. This was shocking because when I am working hard I like to feel comfortable in my pajamas, especially at 1:30 in the morning. It is as if they are trying to impress the other students. They take themselves very seriously, and this is displayed in their clothing choice.

What intrigued me?
The amount of socializing that went on was intriguing. Many students spent their time talking to each other, and not about class related items. They talk about everything from weekend plans to relationship problems. They are all so close they can talk to eachother about anything. They are like a small family.

What disturbed me?
Watching them do their work made me feel worthless. They are very miticulous people who put a lot of effort into their projects. They stay up for hours upon hours perfecting their work, while I spend the minimal amount of time on my homework. I made me feel like an awful student!