The Worst Habits of an Architecture Student

I, myself, included, unfortunately, have acquired these “worst habits”. It’s not really easy being a college student especially when you try to balance everything but all the more hard it is to be an architecture student who’s got a huge workload on their hands. Whether you’re an academic achiever, or a student leader, or a simple college student, here are the worst habits to look out for!

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Habit #1 Getting Used to Having Little to No Sleep

If you’ve read my blog post What Lifestyle to Expect in Architecture School, I’ve mentioned there that “the college that never sleeps” is both a myth and a fact. Whether or not you do all-nighters, it is important to note that you shouldn’t get used to this as it not only posts detrimental effects to your health, it also deprives you of the energy you could have saved for the next day of plate-making and doing other things. It can even encourage procrastination as it will make you think that you can finish certain tasks since you will have an all-nighter anyway.

It might seem uncommon in the beginning to meet people who sleep 8-9 hours per day but those people exist. If they can do it, so can we. Even I have learned to choose to sleep over anything else. I realized that the energy and rest I take from it is much more important than whatever sacrifice there is – this is, honestly speaking, on a case to case basis. I barely remember having to pull off an all-nighter though. The key is to make more efficient use of your time in order to avoid losing sleep.

Be sure to avoid having all-nighters unless absolutely necessary in order to avoid making it one of your habits! One of the things I did to make sure I’m on top of things is to have a bullet journal where I can customize my to do’s, habits, plans and goals anytime. This paper dotted bullet journal is a hardcover with premium paper which could help you organize your college life! I don’t know how I could have done it without it.

Habit #2 Reliance on Caffeine

In relation to having to pull-off all-nighters, some people will tend to rely on caffeine whether it be coffee or tea, or some other type of drink. If an all-nighter is necessary, I really suggest drinking water instead of caffeine or just taking power naps and setting multiple alarms just in case. 

It’s better to use up natural energy acquired from rest or sleep than rely on caffeine. I have experienced being wide awake because of caffeine and yet my brain doesn’t seem to function well, or I couldn’t think well just because I am that tired. Being awake does not equate to efficiency. We have to make sure that the energy we actually receive from whatever we intake is actually beneficial to us or will it leave us crashing down eventually.

Habit #3 Shutting Self Out From the Rest of the World

I feel like I can never preach this enough. I have seen so many memes of an architecture student portraying our lives as nothing but plate-making, eating, and sleeping, then repeat. Although there may be that exaggeration to it, it’s really not much exaggerated as it does happen. 

I have always believed and wanted wholesome growth where there’s a balance of everything. I was told by my teacher in high school that school isn’t everything. This was after I submitted a homework at 3 am through email. She told me I should have been sleeping at that time. My dad as well has always told us that grades aren’t everything and does not ensure success. So what’s the point of giving your everything if it’s detrimental to your health and other things?

A lot of architecture students I know, and other college students, suffer from mental health problems also caused by academics. I, included. We should remind ourselves that school isn’t everything and shutting ourselves from the rest of the world, from family, from friends, and from other things we love doing just so we can “do more” in school can truly lead to burn out and other things.

Is missing all those special family celebrations, friends’ birthdays, and your special me-time really worth it? If you’re going to put it into perspective, in the vast universe, in your lifetime, how big as a part of your life is schooling?  In my bullet journal, I make sure to include not just my tasks for school but as well as different events and personal to do’s so that I get reminded that there are other things beyond my

Habit #4 Not Prioritising Your Health

In relation to the above, it is common to see us architecture and other college students not prioritizing our health as it could make us feel “guilty” or that we aren’t doing enough, or that we could have used the time to do more work or studying, or that we don’t deserve that rest. Well, I tell you, it’s not about deserve. Rest is a necessary thing for the body. We have to listen to our bodies to know what it needs at the right moment and give it at that.

No sleep, caffeine reliance, shutting self out, are only some of the means we don’t prioritize our health. Remember, health covers seven aspects. Physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social, environmental, and occupational. How do you take care of all of that? Are you doing ways to take care of each?

It’s really not easy to take care of the self when you have different responsibilities vying for your attention. If you want to know how I handle stress in architecture school, check it out here.

Habit #5 Leaving Things To Do Last Minute

I know people who, because they’re very talented and fast-workers, tend to put things up last minute. However, not all plates are the same, not all subjects are the same. If you think you have crammed the others, then you can cram your way through everything, you’re wrong.

I also tend to put things off last minute, however, doing things ahead of time just relieves me of stress. I would also have the time to make adjustments if necessary, although I try not to be a perfectionist anymore as that doesn’t always help. You know what helps? Keeping track even though you don’t always get to finish every task! My bullet journal was a huge help for this.

Don’t feel guilty if you put things off the last minute. Sometimes there really is just no other time for it and you’ve done your best. However, don’t develop the habit of procrastinating just because you know you can cram it. You will save yourself some stress. If you want some tips on how to manage yourself and your time more efficiently in architecture school, check out this post.

Habit #6 Disregarding Non-architecture Subjects

This is absolutely common! Sometimes, I truly feel sorry for the other non-architecture professors but even they already expect from us that they aren’t going to be prioritized. However, if you aim for the high grades, the grades of the non-architecture subjects will either take a toll on you or will help pull your grades up. Don’t disregard them! Allotting the right percentage of your time to them will help. You may not have to focus on them too much, but don’t disregard them. Imagine aiming for Latin honors but end up failing just because of a minor.

When I was in my first year, despite being blessed with good architecture subject grades, my grades for my minors also helped a lot. If you’re an incoming freshman for architecture school, check out my different tips on how not only to survive but also succeed at uni here, but if you’re still thinking about whether you want to pursue or not, check out my post here.

SUMMARY

Planning your days could help significantly in avoiding these “worst habits”. What are the these you’d want to look out for as an architecture student?

1. Getting used to having little to no sleep
2. Reliance on caffeine
3. Shutting self out from the rest of the world
4. Not prioritizing your health
5. Leaving things to do last minute
6. Disregarding non-architecture subjects