Zak Shippy - reflections on my first term

insight: zak shippy

2021 was a challenging year globally and a transformative and pivotal one for me personally.  January began with the submission of my UCAS application. From my early teenage years, I knew that I wanted to study Architecture. I applied for five Architecture degrees based in London and was lucky to be offered a place at all five of them.

In May after five months, I received my final offer, which was to my first choice of university - Central Saint Martins. This felt like a huge reward for all the months of hard work. I had finally fulfilled my dream. 

In this period, my final major project was also selected to be shown to our current Chancellor of the Exchequer - Rishi Sunak, on a visit to my sixth form - The London Screen Academy. This was a nice acknowledgment and a new experience for me as several cameras were flashing around us, during our fifteen-minute chat. 

Choosing to study in London meant that there was not too much for me to navigate, as I was not leaving home. That said, despite being awarded a full student loan the capital is a very expensive city and creative courses are often very costly. 

As joyous as embarking on my new degree would be, financially the landscape was looking extremely challenging. 

Over the summer I was invited to interview for the London Neighbourhood Scholarship. To my enormous delight, I was awarded the scholarship. It is difficult to put into words what the award means to me and my Mother. It certainly brought us an overwhelming feeling of peace and ease and meant that I would be able to forge ahead with my studies, without too many financial constraints or worries.

I think this is a priceless gift and certainly something that I will not forget in the future, when I hope to be in a position to help others. 

In the period between sixth form and university, I was keen to get started and thought that I was prepared to be an undergraduate. I was not. 

The first day was extremely busy. We had to bring in an architectural model that we had made and was entirely edible. It was a challenge to say the least. At the time it felt like diving in at the deep end, however on reflection it was a really good way to kick start the transition and get to know each other. I was the only person to make a model out of chewing gum, which was quite memorable. 

My first term has flown by. We were warned at the beginning that our course is very intensive and there are frequent deadlines. 

Last term we completed our first group project, in conjunction with the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow and some of our architectural pieces were featured in Vogue magazine. 

There is very little free time on the course and several people who embarked on jobs or external activities have not been able to continue with them. I feel extremely fortunate that I am financially able to buy course materials etc. and devote 100% of my time to my studies.

Our cohort is very diverse and I have made a number of new friends from outside of London and overseas. I enjoy being able to help my peers who are new to London or the U.K. to navigate certain aspects of city life.

I particularly enjoy being around like-minded people. Studying at CSM is everything that I dreamed it would be and I feel enormously proud to be a student there. 

My final project of last term was to design and fashion a small-scale terraced house. I enjoyed this project a great deal, as it was devised to help us use workshop facilities. It was a project that combined precision with creativity. My house was selected as one of the best five, out of the approximately one hundred and fifty strong cohort. This was a nice accomplishment and a good way to round off a busy first term.

Reflecting on last term, it has been a steep learning curve but all of that has been made easier because I am on the path that I want to be on, in the place where I want to be, with the invaluable and practical help/mentoring from Stitch Architects and The London Neighbourhood Trust. 

Having the support of a team of professional architects is a real privilege. As a student, I am enjoying the journey and these years of creative freedom, whilst also gaining insight into what it means to be a practising architect.