Chances are, you’ve heard of them before. You might also know that they tend to cluster around Bond Hall at all hours of the day and night. And if you are really lucky, you might even know one or two students from this illustrious bunch. They are the Architecture majors of Notre Dame, also known as “archies” (the spelling is widely debated, but it’s universally pronounced like “ar-kee”).
Despite the horror stories of students pulling weekly all-nighters, developing anxiety disorders, and even crying during project reviews, I, along with 35 other courageous sophomores, have chosen to study architecture. Therefore, I know exactly what it’s like to be stuck in the basement of Bond Hall for hours on end literally drafting until the sun rises. It’s definitely not a breeze, but every one of us enjoys the endless struggle enough to stick with it another day.
So who are these “archies,” and why are they always in the studio?
First of all, the architecture program here at Notre Dame is a five-year course of study. In other words, we are lucky enough to live an extra year in South Bend! Whoop whoop! That being said, the 3rd year of study is spent entirely in Rome, Italy, which is even more incentive to get to know the archies before we leave campus for an entire year. In total, there are only about 140 undergraduates on campus each year, not counting the juniors in Rome.
Unlike pre-med students who have lab once or twice a week or business majors who work on several group projects throughout the year, archies (beginning sophomore year) have to take a 6-credit Design Studio four hours a day, three days a week.
It seems like a lot of class time, but if you know anything about architecture school, 12 hours a week is only a small fraction of the work spent in studio outside of class. We draft and sketch initial designs, we consult with our TA’s and professors during “desk critiques,” and eventually we begin drafting our final projects– a meticulous process that takes hours.
Of course, we still have to take four other classes like the rest of the Notre Dame students. Some type-A personality archies, including myself, plan their days down to the hour from homework to studio to work and more, with the reward being time spent with non-archie friends.
So why should you befriend an archie?
While the architecture school is the smallest college at Notre Dame, this group of eccentric people is a close-knit community who welcomes all. Although our personalities and interests vary, we all seem to get along. We are always excited to see new, non-archie faces visiting friends in the studio as well!
Part of the rigorous time management of an archie is making the most out of social time with friends. If an archie prioritizes the time to hang out with you, congratulations, you are a great friend! Although archies may not be the people who have the time to go out with you every Thursday, the friends they make time for are very important to them.
We don’t sleep as much as we should, we complain about the time we spend in studio, and we struggle to make time for anything extraneous, but the rewarding experience of studying architecture is like none other. We share a passion for design, and we appreciate the details around us.
The life of a Notre Dame architecture student is filled with highs and lows, but we know it will all be worth it to see our designs in person one day.
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