Samuel
Tanis

Why NTU…

Why did you choose NTU and your course?

After some research I found it to be one of the better places in the country to do Architectural Technology, it is also not a standard course that many universities offer. Nottingham as a city also seem like a vibrant and lively city to live in so because of all this I set it as my first-place university.

What do you think about the course staff? How do they support your learning and university experience?

They were very helpful and supportive, they would make sure that you always received help if you needed it and would do there best to always answer questions/uncertainties.

Have you been involved in any live projects of briefs on your course and if so, can you talk a bit about one you really enjoyed?

At university I was only involved in one live project which was a church hall refurbishment. The bit I enjoy the most was speaking to the clients at the end of the project and seeing how much they enjoyed hearing all our designs and ideas for the church hall.

Does the “real” NTU match what you’d imagined? How does it compare with your friends’ experience at other universities?

I wasn’t really sure what to expect at university, but my first year was during the beginning of the pandemic which meant most of it was online, they did their best to try make them fun, but it was still a difficult experience. We were one of the first courses to be allowed to have socially distanced studio days which were better but still not really normal.

Other friends did very different courses to what I did so had a lot more lecture-based learning and exams, whereas I mainly had studio days, course work and projects.

How would you promote NTU to potential students in 10 words or fewer?

A friendly space to learn and achieve goals.

Placements

Could you please explain more about your current / recent placement, and what you did during this time?

I have just completed my placement at Arc Partnership, they are a practice that design all the schools for NCC.

On my placement I was just one of the team which taught me a lot and I had the privilege of being able to be apart of about 8 projects on my year out doing everything from drawing plans and details to having meetings with manufactures and other companies that we work with. It was an all-round great experience and sets me up well for my final year.

How did you source your placement? Did you get support from NTU?

I had been looking around for practices taking placement students and had found Arc, I spoke to a lecturer about it and he coincidentally knew the head of the design team and gave me his email. So I emailed him my portfolio and cv and got invited for an interview which went well and got offered a place the following Monday.

What is your favourite project that you’ve worked on during your placement and why?

Bramcote was my first project at arc and probably my favourite, because it was my first project, I feel like I learnt so much not only about how to do the job but about where I was working and how they do things.

I started on it a week before another new starter joined who was an experienced architect, we settled in together and help each other but he helped me specifically with his knowledge of the trade.

What skills have you gained by completing this placement?

The main skill I think I’ve gained is working in a professional environment, setting up meetings and growing in confidence as the year progressed. On top of that I also gained a lot of subject knowledge and Revit skills.

How will these skills enhance your employability for your chosen career?

They are all skills directly linked to what I’m doing, and the placement was in the field that I want to work in. so this adds to my portfolio and cv which help too.

What advice would you give to an NTU student about to begin a placement?

You don’t have to be an expert, you are going on placement to learn and absorb as much information as possible. Just enjoy it as much as you can.

About the future…

What’s next for you after NTU?

Well, I have been offered a job at Arc where I did my placement so I will be returning there after uni as they are sponsoring my final year. It has been a great opportunity and I look forward to going back.

Has the employability team helped you plan for life beyond NTU?

Not really to be honest, I think we had 2 or 3 talks form them while I was in second year and that was about it. They might be more involved in final year.