5 Tips to Be a Successful Architecture Student

Welcome to ARCHIstudent and to my first post ever! I am a 20 years old architecture student in Italy and I've created this blog to share ideas, opinions and information with the future architects from all the countries.

As many of you must have just started uni, I'd like to give you some tips I wish I knew back when I started.

1. Buy a Blank Notebook and Sketch
   Don't draw because teachers tell you to, draw because it's your future! Even if the main work will be done with softwares, the first ideas will be always expressed by sketches and the better you are the easier it will be to turn them into architectural masterpieces.
2. Take advantage of Social Networks
   I think one of the best tools our generation has got is internet! We don't spend a day without checking our social networks accounts, so why don't you use them to keep updated about the architecture world? Follow the trends and get inspiration for your projects!
3. Download and Play
   Your laptop will probably become your new best friend, so start now and get familiar with the two basic softwares every architecture student starts with: AutoCAD and SketchUp!
   You can download their free versions in the links below:
   - AutoCAD for students
   - Sketchup 2015
4. Widen your Knowledge
   You'll probably start studying the buildings and the projects from the past but your designs will have to be contemporary! So discover the most influential architects of the moment and make your own cultural background through the most recommended websites, magazines and books.
5. Be Creative
   Take advantage of all the spare time you have and think about your assignments! Work hard on your designs and be creative, cause all the ideas which come to your mind probably already exist! So open your eyes, look at the world in a new way and get inspiration from it!

Thank you for reading, feel free to ask questions in the comments and I'll try to help you!

A.G.