Letters from the dorm: Architecture school is coming to an end - what now?
It is my third year of architecture school and I'm still going! The time I spend in the studio has doubled. This means the only time for rest is the 45 minutes travelling to and from university on the minibus. With the new HKU MTR station, this travelling time is getting cut down even further.
I am leaving for Shanghai on exchange soon, so I am pretty much a hot mess right now. HKU has an education facility for our faculty in the heart of Shanghai. I've heard that it is a great opportunity to study in an exciting city with a rich history.
In terms of the architecture, Shanghai's lilongs are the most interesting thing to keep an eye out for. The lilongs are narrow streets similar to Beijing's hutongs. The city also has some of the best temples and religious buildings in the world.
It's going to be another challenging semester just as it always is. But the schoolwork isn't the hardest part. With graduation fast approaching, we are forced to make important life decisions for after we've finished university.
Internship applications are piling up, but there aren't many responses so far. I hate the feeling of checking our GPA (HKU's grading system) in the middle of the night, but having a job application rejected is 10 times worse.
On the bright side, it feels right to move on from the student lifestyle. Office hours are no longer our saviour; and I won't be pulling an all-nighter again anytime soon.
So I'm feeling stressed, tired, but excited that Shanghai will lead me to newer and better ideas.
Now if you could please excuse me, I need to get back to sending out a few more of my cover letters before I board this flight.