As a recently graduated architectural student with six months of internship experience, I sincerely wish I had sequenced my formal education and internship differently. I chose the traditional education track by completing my undergraduate and graduate requirements followed by working in an architecture firm to complete my Intern Development Program (IDP) training. Looking back on this, I feel one small but significant alteration to this sequence would have proven favorable. Had I started my IDP training before returning to graduate school, I could have gotten much more out of my formal education.

While in graduate school, I met individuals who had spent time working in an architecture firm. These students excelled most in the design studio and respective coursework. Not only were they better acquainted with the profession, but they were also better at working in teams, evaluating design, and tailoring their formal education to their liking. When faced with a design problem, the interns were more apt to turn to their peers for help and feedback, while the rest of us were too competitive with each other to share our thoughts. Those with internship experience had a greater appreciation for teamwork, and by learning from one another, they submitted a further developed product.

These individuals were also better trained at evaluating design and the functionality of a space. Each student in this group had been involved in the design and construction of a building and had witnessed its occupation. This is something academia could never teach a student; it is something one realizes in the professional realm. Only after doing so, can one truly learn to evaluate a design, and in turn, further hone his or her architectural skills.

Ultimately, after experiencing internship within the profession, a student can benefit from their formal education, moreso than those who took the traditional track. I entered my graduate coursework with only an academic experience of architecture; it was all I had at that point. Those who were returning to school from internship brought something different with them. They had been immersed in the practice of architecture, and hence, had a better idea of what education they wanted to return with to the profession. At the time, I thought I knew what I needed to learn in school. However now, I feel parts of my formal education have gone to waste. A lot of my interests changed once I entered the profession and after working with clients - a word uttered far too seldom in academic design. Then, some things I learned simply are not applicable within architectural practice. To this day I regret not working in an architectural firm before I completed school.

By calling for aspiring architects to at least partially complete their IDP requirements before the completion of their formal education could potentially produce a better architect. The reasons for this are innumerable; however, I have listed above the ones I hold in strongest regard. If I could suggest but one thing to architectural students, it would be just this.