Megan Tee moved all the way from New Plymouth in Taranaki to study a Bachelor in Architectural Technology at SIT’s Invercargill campus.
She chose SIT for two reasons: they offered Zero Fees in the course she wanted to study, which would allow her the financial freedom of not having a student loan when she entered the work force. The other attraction of SIT was the smaller class sizes, she said classes weren’t filled with hundreds of students.
“It allowed more one-on-one time with the tutor, making it easier to get work done and it made me feel comfortable from day one”.
Megan said she’d always enjoyed getting to do something creative, such as building things and drawing. She discovered her career direction at high school when she took a Graphics class, and from that experience, she decided designing buildings was something she really enjoyed and could do for the rest of her life.
She said the course taught her all the information she would need to enter the field of architecture; each lesson and assignment was framed in such a way, how students would have to approach it in the real world, making entering the work force much easier.
“I think the most important thing I learnt was how to deal with people from all sorts of backgrounds and being able to be confident enough to stand up for my design and support it. Having confidence in my abilities is something I will take with me for the rest of my life”.
Megan loved student life at SIT. It allowed her to become more independent as she moved away from home, and she loved getting to meet and study with people from all over the world. She enjoyed being able to interact with people who came from many different backgrounds and ranged in ages, yet were interested in the same things as herself.
“Student life has allowed me to befriend people I otherwise would never have met, and I finished my studies, walking out not just with a degree, but connected to a group of people I will be life-long friends with”.
Megan says she loved the Bachelor of Architectural Technology course, the staff who ran the course were friendly and very helpful, and she enjoyed making real connections with the tutors.
“...the tutors are better than you can imagine, they are easy to get along with, have a good sense of
humour, making classes super-fun, they’re easy to approach and talk to, which makes sitting in
classes less daunting, especially on the first day!”
Through Megan’s three years of study she had the pleasure of making professional connections with other trades she could be working with in the future: the city council, construction companies, and architectural design companies.
“During the course of the programme we went on many site visits to better understand the field we were entering, and went to many informative conferences and design presentations”.
The course itself had everything Megan needed to successfully complete all her work, and was well-equipped with the provision of materials, for example drawing pencils, printing equipment,
3-D printers, laser cutters and 24-hour access to the building to complete assignments.
Megan wants to work in the field of Architecture because she’s found her passion, and it makes her happy on a daily basis. She would like to design buildings that make people happy, by designing people’s dream homes.
“After I gather enough experience, I want to further my studies and do my Master’s and one day do my PhD. But I will always design buildings for people, and I would like to one day specialise in passive designs and city planning”.
In the meantime, she has long-lasting connections with her Architectural Technology class to support her, and see her through getting established in the industry.
“I love that my whole class I graduated with, were all so close from the first year, and are still just as close today”.
“I have loved every second of studying at SIT. I would strongly recommend SIT to anyone wanting to study. I could not have chosen a better place to study!”