It feels surreal to be nearing the end of my time at AUB already. Once you’re engrossed in the rhythm of term, producing drawing after drawing, refining portfolio layouts and building test models, time seems to fly by.
Knowing what lies ahead of me (a unit, dissertation and a final major project) has left me feeling nervous about the workload, but thoroughly excited for the freedom to focus on a direction that feels most like me. Final year will give me the opportunity to put my individual designer persona into the limelight, refining my ideas to be more grounded, continuing to be rooted in my morals and unafraid to be a little different.
Over the start of summer, I’ve been giving third year some real thought. Reflecting back on second year, my ideas were presented confidently and with a personal touch, but I knew something was lacking – my own depth. I felt untethered by the rocky start I had at university and the bumps in the road throughout my first and second year. I realised it would take great dedication and a new intention to get my momentum back. And now, as I begin my final year, I believe it’s time for my true design interests and individual approach to shine. To ground my poetic and whimsical style into something tangible, actionable and most importantly, usable.
As a young designer in the making, I’m using this transitional period to discover what truly makes me tick – immersive design, poetry and narrative spaces, and a deep desire to rewrite health spaces, far from the clinical and sterile environments they currently seem to be. The ideas I am drawn to are ambitious and refining them into one clear research question will take time. This time is crucial to prepare for how you, as a designer, want the industry to see you, and how you want to move forward with the knowledge gained so far on the course.
Over my summer so far, I have been visiting little villages and high streets in my local area, feeling drawn to the warmth and comfort of the old architecture, as well as the nostalgia of the familiar places that have been a part of my life constantly. Pinterest has also been a source of my attention – but not quite in the way you may think. Rather than searching for interior inspiration alone, I’ve found myself exploring creative hobbies, poetry, landscapes and storytelling. Surprisingly, these have helped me understand why I want to pursue interior architecture in the first place. Sketching from observation wherever I go, be it a park or cafe, admiring the specific shape or orientation of a structure, has kept the creative fuel alive, ready to ignite in my third-year projects. I have continued to scour the RIBA Journal and Dezeen, as well as new design practitioners I have discovered, to admire other individual approaches.
It’s also important if, like me, you’re beginning your third year in a few months’ time (or even any year group!) to organise your devices and materials. Yes, it’s arduous, but very rewarding when term rolls around, and everything is ready for you to start working. You’ll be surprised with the amount of clutter we can accumulate on our laptops as students, and how much easier studying becomes when we address it bit by bit. If you’re bored of your setup, try customising your wallpaper, widgets and folders to make the studying experience just that bit more interesting and personalised. This little trick proved really useful to me last year, so my focus this summer is tidying my storage and those random floor plan downloads from old projects that I don’t need anymore!
Third year for me isn’t just about the study, though. Like many other students, I’m finally moving into a new space that I can call my own, and now’s the perfect time to plan what will come with me and how I can learn from previous years, when I’ve definitely taken more than I needed to university! Minimising my load will help mentally as well as physically and make the moving in and out process so much smoother as a final-year student. Everything works in tandem, so decluttering my laptop, planning my projects, sharpening my career focus just that bit more and making lists of my inventory for my new accommodation, all amount to making my final year as enjoyable as possible. I would highly recommend that to my peers too.
I am thoroughly excited to see what my final year will bring for me – creatively, socially and personally most of all. My time at AUB so far has been an experience like no other and the lessons I have learned along the way will surely make my final year smoother, too. If you’re resonating with a few of the things I’ve shared whilst preparing for going back to university in a few months’ time, remember to enjoy your summer recuperating and take small steps to prepare. Every little thing can make term time that much better for you.
Final year feels daunting to some, including myself, but it’s also an exciting venture – an opportunity to put everything you’ve learned up to now on your course into practice, and show the designer you truly are. Wherever you’re at in your degree, remember to make space to reflect, recharge and rediscover what inspires you. I know I can’t wait
