Iman Raza Khan

"In high school I really liked art and design and did Design and Visual Communication (DVC) and sculpture-making. But I also really liked math and science. I wanted to do something that was really creative and slightly logical as well, so I chose architecture. All of the work we do is really an integration of those two things. I remember when I was about to start university, I was worried about the workload. I had been told to be prepared, because architecture was quite challenging.

"It’s a big adjustment from high school to university. The work we do is just really different and you have to be really independent. You really have to organise yourself with your workload, materials and even budgeting.

"I remember in the first week we had to get six cast models done in four days. We had to go to the workshops at Elam and approach people for help. I just wasn’t used to that. Here it’s really independent, you have your own design and you need to tackle it in your own way. You have to do a lot of problem solving and you need to ask for help to get the work done and meet the deadline.

"The highlight of my year was the last crit that I had; it was really good and the critics really loved it. I had applied everything I had learned over the entire year, all of the techniques into this final crit. Also the people I met, the tutors and the whole first year group, they’re all amazing, so it was really nice meeting them.

"I feel really positive about my choice to study architecture. In the first week, I was thinking maybe I should switch degrees, because it was just really challenging. But you just have to get past the point, and move out of that high school shell. Once you do it’s a lot of fun!

"My advice for new students is to just be open to the criticism you get. It’s really important to be able to take the feedback that others offer you. It’s also really important to ask for help, make good friends and work hard."