What path do I need to take now as a junior in high school to become an architect?

Hi Melissa,

It's great that you are interested in architecture! The most important thing is to follow your interests, even if there aren't the right classes, etc. Are there any community drawing classes or classes at other local schools or colleges that would be available to you? Even doing some shorter workshops would be a great way to meet other people that share your interests and build your portfolio. I took some night classes at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston before I came to architecture school just as a way to keep working on my drawings skills. You might also see if you can do some informational interviews with any local architects. If there is a local architectural organization (the Boston Society of Architects, for example) or architecture school there are often lectures and other events that are free and open to the public which is a great way to meet other people in the field. When you start looking at colleges, see if any of the schools that you are interested in have an architecture program. Some schools will have a separate application process for architecture students, but you don't necessarily have to go into an architecture specific program for undergraduate. I, along with many of my friends in my Masters program didn't study architecture in our undergraduate but taking art, art history, policy, or other classes related to architecture and design will make you a stronger application for a masters program. There are a lot of ways that you can become an architect, and having a strong interest in the profession is a great first step!

Hi Melissa, you might want to check out the answer to this question: What is the career path to a successful career in architecture?.

Remember that there are two directions you must be cognizant of, and those are art and engineering. Many folks think these two directions are very different. But trust me, they are not.

Most engineers will tell you about ideas being "sexy". This means that they are elegant and beautiful and solve the problem in a way that impresses them. Architecture goes a step further in that it embraces not only functionality, but the beauty of art. And art is not just functionality, but it appeals to the yearnings of the soul. Sound a bit too "out there"? No -- the most awesome and awe-inspiring achievements of history have incorporated huge leaps of engineering achievement as well as beauty to capture the hearts of folks who have viewed them.

So you ask what path you need to take now? Take all the art classes and STEM classes you can, because Art, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics are really the soul of the human race. These things encompass most of the cool stuff that human beings will leave on the earth.

Dig in -- it's very cool and very fun.