Rumours on Architecture Students' Life; Truth or Myth

It's been a semester and a half since I've delved into the world of architecture and I think this is actually the first time I feel that I don't feel any reservations to talk about it.
So, what's the verdict on the course so far?

Here are some of the rumours I've heard about an architecture students' life before I entered uni and I'm going to tell you whether it's the truth or just a myth based on my 6 months so far.

*Note : These are just my two cents on the rumours based on my 6 months in University of Queensland. It may be completely different in other unis and other countries :) .

Rumour #1 Crazy Workload
Without a doubt, hands down, this is the truth.
I see my friends who are doing engineering and pharmacy having time to read manga and sleep for hours during the day. That kind of luxury is never associated to an architecture student, I can tell you that.

Rumour #2 Bye-bye Sleep 
I would say the rumours about not getting to sleep at night are true for some but not for me. I get to sleep for about a maximum of 6 hours at night, normally no more than that. But to get that amount of sleep, work has to be consistent and I cannot slack during the day (Read: I don't have time much fun)

Rumour #3 Crits are the work of the devil
Truth and Myth. It really depends on who is at your crit at the time. I've never had a particularly terrible critique but I've heard that some guys in my studio were bashed about their work even before they got to say a word. So yes, crits can be a bit scary especially for people who aren't used to expressing ideas in such a romanticized way (like me ._.)

Rumour #4 Lots of money will go to projects
A definite truth. Equipments in general are expensive. The other day I lost my #63 scale ruler. $12 later, I got myself a new one. For locals, $12  may be nothing but for me $12 = RM 36 . Of course, when it comes to my art supplies, I try to tell myself not to convert the money but when things get magically lost, it really hurts my pocket when I have to replace them.
So far we've used lots of balsa wood, foam boards, clay and they don't exactly come cheap either. Miniature trees and people are not something you'd want to buy if you're on a tight budget. Not to forget printing costs. 
So, to avoid burning a hole in my already cratered pocket, I try to skimp on other things like eating out and of course one of my favourite pastimes (Shopping!). I also buy stuff at the uni workshop even though the process is a bit tedious because the materials there are a lot cheaper. Put in more effort to save the costs! 

Rumour #5  Overnights at the studio
This one is one that I can't confirm because I've never done it myself so I don't really know whether a lot of my friends do it. To be honest, it's a lot easier to work there because then, we won't have to lug our stuff back and forth from the studio to home especially our models. But for me, it's more of because I don't feel comfortable with boys sleeping right next to me and I can't take of my scarf etc so even if I do stay at the studio, I don't do overnights. Again, in order to do this, no slacking during the day!

Rumour #6 You have to be able to draw
Myth. People always think that architects should be able to produce beautiful drawings but honestly that's not the case. I have friends who aren't really good at drawing, but their ideas are really awesome and because of the technology nowadays, being able to draw by hand to communicate ideas is not as necessary as it used to be, though I would say it is very useful to put forward quick ideas. Having said that, a lot of people though not all who are doing architecture can produce beautiful artwork. Architecture is another branch of art and normally people who want to do architecture are interested in art. Hence, rumour #6. 

Rumour #7 We like to wear a lot of black
Okay, I don't know how this rumour circulated. Probably there's an architecture school some place some where that makes it compulsory for the students to wear black but I can tell you, this is definitely untrue. In UQ at least.

So there you go. A few rumours that I could think of and whether they're true or not. Of course, there are a lot more rumours but I can't think of them right now. I won't say that what I've said is a myth or is the truth will stay that way because hey, I've only been here 6 months plus. I have so so so many more years to go until I really really get a taste of the real thing. Of course it's just wishful thinking that it won't get any tougher. Everything gets tougher when you grow older. The more knowledge we gain, the more we realise we don't really know anything at all.

Some photos of my current project. The one that I'm going to submit at 4 pm today. Wish me luck!