Well, it’s over. Our critic took us out for food and drinks in the neighborhood, and we had our big final party and exhibition over in Avery Hall afterwards. There’s a lot I could write about these past five weeks, but I’m not sure where to begin… I can’t help but think of the objectives I had in mind when I first decided to enroll in this program back in March:

Objective: Escape the daily grind of professional practice and immerse myself in a studio environment for a few weeks.

Check.

Objective: Earn transfer credit that can be applied toward my undergrad BA degree.

Check.

Objective: Do some cool projects that can be added to my portfolio the next time I apply to grad schools.

Check.

Objective: Do some networking to meet people in the NYC architecture community, and maybe even get a letter of recommendation from my studio critic.

Check. Our critic has taught at many top-tier architecture schools in NYC and beyond, and has offered to write letters for anybody in the section who asks. Besides that, he seems like a guy I want to stay in touch with anyway.

Objective: To develop a more theoretical sensibility, a more rigorous process, and apply it to my design projects.

In progress. That’s not something that can happen in five weeks, and I feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface in that regard. I can design some very cool stuff, but I need to work on the “why” questions.

And with that, the Columbia summer studio is over just as abruptly as it started… On Monday, it’s back to the working world full-time.

Now I have exactly one week to find a new place to live in NYC, before I’m kicked out of the Columbia dorms. Time to start checking craigslist on an hourly basis.