College Experiences That Helped a Landscape Architect at CLIMATE Architecture Succeed
Amy's undergraduate program included "crit" sessions, where students presented their work and received often harsh critiques. This experience, initially upsetting ("they were mean and like criticize me"), ultimately taught Amy valuable presentation and feedback skills, crucial for her current role where she confidently presents designs to clients, transforming initial anxieties into a collaborative process resulting in improved outcomes.
Communication, Presentation Skills, Resilience, Overcoming Challenges, Constructive Criticism
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Amy Cooney
Architect, Landscape Design
CLIMATE Architecture + Development
University of Virginia
University of Pennsylvania
Architecture, Interior Design
Climate, Environment, Sustainability & Waste Management
Creative
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. Developed presentation skills through regular critiques of design projects, learning to handle constructive criticism and improve work iteratively.
2. Experienced real-world project simulations in undergrad, mirroring the collaborative and client-facing aspects of professional design work.
3. Gained resilience and confidence in facing criticism, transforming initial emotional responses to constructive feedback into opportunities for creative improvement and client collaboration
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
We would have real-world projects and present them to our classmates and professor. Sometimes, people would be invited, and we would present to a group of about 15 people.
You'd walk into a room with white walls, put up your drawings, and talk about them. It was called a "crit." For the first two or three, I was excited to do it.
But one day, I was upset and crying afterward. They had been mean and critical, and I realized that's why it's called a crit – for criticism.
However, it's constructive criticism. We would stand up with drawings we spent weeks or a whole term on, our "babies." People seemed to tear into them.
Looking back, and also being on the other side giving feedback, it's different now. When I present something to a client that I think they'll like, I don't cry anymore; I usually just laugh.
We typically come up with something better, more exciting, or that fits their personality or the project better if we're open to it. So, we did these little crit sessions. It was good.
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