McWhorter School of Building Science
My Time as an Auburn University Building Science Student
My experience at Auburn University as both a student and member of the Auburn Family has been so beneficial and life-changing that it is hard to put in words, but I most certainly will try. I started my career at Auburn the same way I will end it, in the College of Architecture, Design, and Construction. I came to Auburn, AL from sunny South Florida in hopes to pursue a career in Architecture, which was where I applied my passions of art and design. After a year of studio, there were some expectations and pieces to the puzzle missing of what I had hoped for within Architecture. I have always been big on drawing, free-form thinking, and such things associated with Architecture studio, but I was looking for more practicality, application of mathematics and the sciences, and learning the ropes of the construction industry. The McWhorter School of Building Science gave me just that and much more. For 6 school semesters, I have learned all there is to know about construction. It was tough adjusting from Architecture to Building Science at first, for two reasons in particular: 1) I have no immediate family in the construction industry or having anything to do relating to construction, and 2) in my opinion, Architecure and Construction Management seem to be two ends of the spectrum, of which I was not able to utilize enough information from one to use for the other. Being a Building Science student put into perspective what each party of a project is responsible for, what the possibilties within the realm of construction are, and, most importantly, made me adverse in a subject matter that is highly overlooked from non-construction minded point of view. I established a high appreciation for the appliations and work put into construction, and I believe I have been trained properly to be a bright construction mind over these past 4 years.
During my time as a Auburn University Building Science Student, I have aquired an array of skills and quailifications necessary for becoming a professional in the construction world and in life. In my first few semesters in Building Science, I learned all about constrcution vocabulary (definitions, acronyms, ect.), the priniciples of estimating, and a complete analysis of structural steel. I developed a solid perspective from the eyes of a chief estimator and a structural engineer. As my school work progressed, I went further in depth into the study of concrete, construction information technologies, construction organation and scheduling, managing financials as a student and/or construction entity, and safety codes, regulations, and guidelines. As my career of being a Building Science concludes, I am understanding construction/project documents and their execution, legal guidance and rights within the construction industry, and advanced construction programming and digital information. All of which previously mention and unmention has been applied to my senior thesis to create a final package of my skills, research, and passion for my major and profession.
As my final semester as a student comes to a close and I transition into the real world, there are a lot of expectations and thoughts that I have reagrding my professional career. Auburn University's McWhoter School of Building Science has gone lengths to ensure that my learning experience and enjoyment is unparrelled. This has certainly been reflected, in large part, by the exceptional facility and staff. Not only is each and every individual extremely knowledgable in at least one specific sector/part of the construction industry, but they each provide guidance and support whenever needed. It can certainly be challenging to teach multiple classes and communicate with their students on a personable level, but each manages to do so very well. With these things in mind, I know that I will be able to face any challenge thrown my way once I start a job in the industry. This confidence is driven through the support from the knowledge acquired in Auburn's Building Science Program and the strong relationships I have built over the years with some of the brightest construction minds there are.