Students work on average 58.8 hours per week at Bergen’s Architectural College.
This week Bergens Tidende published an article about the time Master (MA/MSc) students spend working at Bergen School of Architecture (BAS).
This is a long time compared to the 35.7 hours that University of Bergen (UiB) MA/MSc students spend on their studies each week.
A calm day
Mats Edal, first year student at BAS, says that you need a lot of time when you are finishing a project.
Most first year students, tend to work a 50 hour week as well. Tord Øyev, BAS first year, says that typically he comes to school at eight and then leaves around six.
–It’s a very calm day. I’m really happy to go home at six o’clock. Last day I came here at 10 o’clock and I went home at three in the night.
They usually have to complete a big project and this takes a lot of time and energy.
It’s the interest driving them
Bergen School of Architecture only takes in 30 students a year. Many come from diverse background like carpentry and Art History.
– Most of them continue through the study. We don’t have fallouts and we have students that know what they want.
According to BAS Rector, Cecilie Andersson, students are usually 23 when they start at the college.
– It’s small enough cause it’s just a school with 150 students. So it’s very noticeable if you don’t show up to some type of work.
Cecilie says she personally knows all the students by name so it is easy to follow up with them.
Something to be proud of
Line Flores Myhere, a diploma student working on constructing a new type of prison, says its always worth having a project you can be proud of.
Tord Øyev, first year BAS, says that it is simply not possible to not spend so much time.
Tord says you need to interact with people and research your project, which is very time intensive. Sometimes that involves going out and doing surveys, drawing or looking up different styles.
More responsibility
Rector Cecilie says that at BAS they give students a lot more freedom but also more responsibility.
–So when we do these building projects, it’s not like the teachers are there to control every step. Its the students that are in charge of most of the things but they also welcome this responsibility and take it seriously.
Tord says that in his current project ‘Space with friends’ he felt he had a theme in mind but a lot of freedom to come up with his own ideas.
What They’ve always wanted
For some like Ragnhild Lien Olsen, diploma student BAS, and Mats Edal, first year student BAS, this is what they have always dreamed of doing.
BAS Rector hopes this enthusiasm students have for their studies will push students to succeed.
– We strive to better and be recognised on international and national level and we think we succeed in that in many respects.
Recently two students at BAS won the European Student Award Prize for their work ‘Inverted Beauty’.
