Urban design projects include analysis of city plans and development of urban areas in foreign countries. For one project, students were presented with an elaborate scenario in Nepal and asked to build housing for Tibetan refugees, taking into consideration the various needs of the population, the different materials available for building and the cultural attitudes in Nepal.
The landscape architecture program--the smallest of the three--has another group of projects which includes analysis of sites and designs.
All three sections are taught entirely by graduate students at the GSD.
"Graduate students love to do the teaching. They get to do for the students whatever was or wasn't done for them," says Betty Lou Marple, the program's director. "They are still close enough to their own experience as students."
Career Discovery does not give the students much exposure to GSD faculty members, focusing instead on individual attention from the instructors and student interaction for learning.
"You don't only learn from the instructors, you learn from your peers," says Ahmad, who is already planning to enter a school in industrial design in the fall. "You get into the atmosphere of the profession."
But students do get advice from professional architects in the reviews at the end of each project. Students present their work individually and respond to criticism from three outside professionals. The review process is open to give students a chance to make their own comments, as well as to hear the professional critiques.
Students say that nearly every night this summer the Gund Hall design space was being used until 3 or 4 a.m., as students worked on their weekly projects.
"The first time is hell," says Eugene Lye of the reviews. "But everyone is pretty much used to it now. No one here slept last night."
"It's not really hard, but it is a lot of work. You have the opportunity to put in a lot of hours, and you have the option not to put in as many," says Michael Roche.
Many students leave Career Discovery certain that they are not interested in a design career. But even those who decide that architecture is not for them often say they find the program rewarding.
"One thing is for sure, if you take this course you will know whether you are up to being an architect or not," says Eduardo Antonetti, an architecture student.
"It is fun, it is challenging and it is a lot of work," said Sarah Hamilton, adding that even though Career Discovery convinced her that she did not want to be a landscape architect, she enjoyed the program.
A little experience, she says, can be valuable for students who are interested in pursuing a career in architecture--especially if they decide they don't like it.
"I still don't understand why the Law School doesn't run one, or the Medical School," Marple says. "Parents are willing to pay if it will get their offspring thinking about their careers."