Environmental Design at OCAD University
Sharany (Year 2)
What did you wish you knew before going to your university? What made you choose this institution over all others? What are advantages and disadvantages of your institution or campus? List any advice for incoming first-year students about your university.
In the beginning, I was skeptical about making the final choice of this program, but I realized I'm happy with my choice. Unlike other universities that have the same environmental and interior design program, I learned that this university allows for more of a hands on experience and not as technical as others. Personally, I like a more hands-on experience as it allows for a better learning experience.
What did you wish you knew before choosing your specific program? What are the advantages and disadvantages of your program? List any advice for incoming first-year students about your program of study.
There are no things that I would really like to change. The advantages would include the many opportunities and experiences that are presented to the students, such as working with a variety of different softwares and machines. a disadvantage could be creating large scale models, as that takes a time consuming process to carry out. However, as someone who is passionate in this program, you will learn to love it and create more projects like these.
What was your favourite university experience?
My best experience was when I was given the opportunity to work in a group to analyze a given site, which was an empty 20m by 20m lot in a campus. We then created a whole procedure where we measure, photograph, research, design, and construct a model of a precedent using software and actual materials.
What was your least favourite university experience?
To be honest there wasn't really a worst experience that occurred. Maybe the due dates and rush of some projects in first year environmental class, but other than that it is expected. Now I learned how to manage my time better in order to complete any assignments.
What is the hardest part about your program and what were the steps that you took to overcome any difficulties?
The hardest part was learning how to use some softwares when creating models or technical drawings. However, we are presented with the help needed, whether it's from the professor, students, or links presented to students.
If you were able to take electives, what was your favourite elective? If you were not able to take electives, what was your favourite course and why?
My favourite course was the Materials and Design course. Students get to experiment and expand their skills with working with different materials and tools. This course allowed us to work with wood and metal, where we created different sculptures and working products. We also learned about the names and functions of the different machines.
Additional Comments
There are actually many opportunities found in the school which allow you to further expand your learning, experiment and create different artwork, as well as interact with the environment there.