What to Expect

As a student landscape architect, in the morning, you may go to classes in surveying, landscape ecology and geology. In the afternoon, you may be in the studio working on your design for a new garden outside a local museum.

The workload is quite intense. Nadia Amoroso took a five-year bachelor's degree in landscape architecture. She says that on top of a full day of classes, there's another four to six hours of homework. Still, it's manageable. "Try to get as much done as you can right away and don't leave things to the last minute," she says.

The work is split between book learning and hands-on activities. "You spend maybe 50 percent of your time designing and working things out in a studio -- actual sites, problem-solving, theoretical stuff -- and the other 50 percent doing theory, research, writing and science courses," says Antono Medeiros. He took the same program as Amoroso.

Amoroso says that she was surprised by the tight structure of the program and the amount of work expected in a short time. "I knew it was going to be very busy, but I did not know it would be very subjective," she says. She quickly learned not to take critiques of her work personally.

Medeiros also finds he often has to explain what he does to others. "I'm not a landscaper, I'm an architect of the land. City parks, streetscapes, regional planning, anything without a roof. I don't just plant trees and grass. We build structures as well."

Amoroso says the best aspects of her program are the small classes and the professors.

"It's like high school," says Medeiros. "The program's size is such that you know everyone, including your professors. You meet the people who are actually building things."

Medeiros recommends looking for a discount art or graphics supply store near your institution. It's not necessary to spend big bucks on a drafting table. "These days, you won't be doing hard line drawings by hand; rather, [you'll be] using a CAD package or 3D modeling program. All you need is a big enough table."

Medeiros says that the key to succeeding in a landscape architecture program is keeping an open mind, and using the freedom to experiment rather than getting hung up on the technical aspects of it. "Enjoying the environment one lives in is more important."