Combining logical thinking and creative flair through architecture studies

Why did you choose your degree?
Before starting at the University, I used to work as a freelance graphic designer, which gave me invaluable experience and knowledge on visual design and became the main source of inspiration motivation to my career choice. When I prepared my application for the University of Adelaide Global Citizen Scholarship, I had tasked myself to write a personal statement explaining myself and my choice of degree. Such experience assisted me a lot in exploring and understanding my nature of thinking logically and my passion for creating and crafting. I finally decided to study Architecture as I believe that it is the most meaningful way that I can spend time and utilize my nature and abilities in a way that I feel satisfied with. Such quality time also evokes and enables me to contribute to society willingly and uniquely.

Why did you choose the University of Adelaide?
Credibility and location are amongst the main reasons for my choice of Adelaide over many other options all over the world. As far as I’m concerned, without architecture qualifications accredited by the Architects Accreditation Council of Australia, I cannot practice architecture as a registered architect in Australia to fulfil my passion. By completing the course of Architectural Design at The University of Adelaide, I can become an accredited architect who can not only design houses in Australia but can also be involved in improving human living space around the world. Moreover, the University of Adelaide is in Adelaide, a well organised, peaceful city that is home to many global citizens from all walks of life. Living in Adelaide, I will stand a high chance of becoming a global citizen who can establish rapport wherever I travel.

What was the most valuable source of information you had when deciding which degree to study?

I took references from various sources while making up my mind at the end of high school. Before choosing the field of architecture, I went to many career conferences to listen to the experiences of people from different fields. After I had decided to work in the field of architecture and design, there were still lots of voids in my knowledge of this job. As a result, I went to a local library to read about architecture and met many practising architects during an architectural workshop and listened to their real experiences. Their sharing was invaluable to me at that time.

What are you enjoying most about your degree?

What I enjoyed most about my degree in architectural design is that it always encourages me to think logically and also is a release of creativity. I really enjoyed the assignments that I had to complete towards my degree. Each assignment was just like a story where I can see the improvement in myself. Even theory-based courses were valuable to me in the way they continuously challenged me to navigate myself in the big picture of architecture and reminded me of why I wanted to start this degree. I think that my degree is full of adventures that build up my personal traits to become the future image of myself – an enthusiastic architect.

How have you adjusted to online learning and what keeps you motivated?

I have been studying since Semester 2 of 2020 and I am having wonderful experiences and connections here. The biggest challenge when I started Uni was that I had to study offshore and online due to Covid-19. My major requires a lot of studio experience so studying online is a brand-new experience.

I was quite overwhelmed at first, but thanks to the immediate support from course coordinators, I soon caught up with the curriculum and started to explore myself. I also appreciate the effort of extracurricular activities such as Global IQ Connect to enable offshore students to join. Thanks to those experiences, I believe that I am well prepared to become a global citizen and encounter global challenges in the future.Hà Thanh Lê

What support services have you accessed – were they helpful?

Besides teachers, I also received much assistance from the faculty.

Whenever I have a problem, I can immediately contact the Live Chat service and they will guide me to the next steps of a solution. Another service that I want to express my gratitude to is the student advisor. Studying offline confused me a lot at first. Whenever I had a question or problem, I booked an appointment with the student advisors. They always listened thoroughly to my problems and responded to me with the answer I needed as soon as possible.

What advice would you give to other international students starting their studies online?

From my experience, I think that it is important to develop yourself in any aspect when you have yet to plan what you want to do in the future. Only in that way can you seize any opportunity coming to you suddenly. Once you have found your passion, it is vital to be aware of the qualifications’ value and how it may assist you in your future career as university graduation is certainly not the goal of our life. To me, the university’s reputation and ranking doesn't affect my choice much, I chose the university as I know that we are compatible and we share the same core values. I also acknowledge what the university may offer to develop myself, shape my career path and make a contribution to humanity. At the university, I am eager to see how far we can reach if going together.

What are the top 3 things you are looking forward to when you arrive in Adelaide?

The top 3 things on my to-do list when arriving in Adelaide include: offline orientation week, volunteer clubs, and meeting my friends face to face.

How do you think a degree from The University of Adelaide will assist your future career?

By completing the course of Architectural Design at The University of Adelaide, I can become an accredited architect who can not only design houses in Australia but can be involved in improving human living space around the world. Moreover, the University of Adelaide is located in Adelaide city of South Australia, a well organized peaceful city that gathers many global citizens from all walks of life. Living in Adelaide, I will stand a high chance of becoming a global citizen who can establish rapport wherever I travel.

My plan for the future is to work as an intern to obtain experience before studying a Master of Architecture.

How would you describe your experience at the University of Adelaide overall?

As far as I know, the University of Adelaide is famous for its high-quality education and diversity. As far as I experienced, my university is the best place to explore myself and go beyond my limits.

“Challenging but invaluable” is how I would describe my time at the University of Adelaide. I was surprised by the enthusiasm of the tutors and staff who always supported and gave me valuable feedback. I also made many new friends from all over the world. I am becoming more and more confident and happy on my way to becoming an architect.Hà Thanh Lê