Brian Baker Scholarship Recipient, Anxu narrates his Architectural Journey
With a scholarship in hand at the beginning of his Bachelor of Design and a long road of learning ahead with a graduate degree package on offer, Anxu Fang’s journey is filled with learning, creating, reflecting and aspiring to be influential.
What led you to choose the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning for your Bachelor of Design?
I’ve always loved drawing, creating and designing in general, so I knew from a young age that I would love to pursue this path and be as influential as I can, showcasing my work to everyone. I have designed the windows for my high school, I made a card game, and I draw comics daily . I know University of Melbourne has great design programs and amazing opportunities to work in the industry, and it’s pretty much where everyone expected me to go, so it was a no brainer for me.
What’s your favourite part of the course?
I’m majoring in architecture wherein I get to learn architectural theories and practical CAD skills which I feel are essential to build a foundation for becoming an architect. The drawing part is fun as expected but the history subject is surprisingly interesting too. The professors and tutors teach us in a storytelling manner which is quite engaging.
My favourite part so far has been that we can pick whatever breadth subjects we want. I picked business law, making movies and painting techniques , all three are areas I love. It's great to have the opportunity to have this diverse range of studying at university. It’s amazing to think that my course is already what I want to do. I believe the most enjoyable part of studying is that my breadth subjects mostly topics I’m interested in most.
An Image of Anxu Fang’s design work.
You received the Brian Baker Scholarship before commencing your studies. How did it feel to get that support?
It’s truly an amazing feeling! It feels like all the effort is worth it, that someone else other than your family and your friends has acknowledged it. And it indeed helps me financially and motivated me to study as I can use this to buy study materials. With this acknowledgement and encouragement, it also gives me more reasons to dedicate to my crafts. I want to thank Mrs. Faith Baker again for her support and promise to work hard in the future as well.
What would you advise other students seeking scholarships?
A few suggestions based on my personal experience:
- Work hard, it sounds cliche, but it is the only factor in your hands to achieve anything you want. Some study tips: Make a timetable with study block sections and break sections and set normal weekday schedules on weekends. A lot of the time, we are too easily distracted by gadgets and waste so much time, that we feel pressurized and anxious with incomplete work. The truth is you don’t need to study all day, you can take a few hours to finish the amount you need to and enjoy the rest of the day guilt-free.
- Know your goal: your passion really leads you. Even when sometimes you are stuck with something you don’t enjoy as much, you can still find ways to work around it. For instance, I picked physics in high school, and I wasn’t a big fan of it at the start. However, I started watching YouTube videos about physics and started thinking about its application in the real world. In the end, physics became one of my favourite subjects. Once you become good at it and taste “success”, you like it more and you automatically do better at it, it is a vicious cycle.
- If there are interviews, don’t be nervous, you passed the previous rounds for a reason, it’s an opportunity to show who you truly are. Furthermore, don’t just talk about your academic achievements but talk about your interest and vision. What do you think makes you stand out and what are you able to contribute?
As a recipient of the Graduate Degree Package offered by the university, what led you to apply for it?
I never thought that I could get a master’s package in architecture, but when I saw the opportunity, I had to take it (real warriors never say no to challenges!). As long as I make sure to get decent results for my assignments and exam, it’s an automatic guarantee to a master’s degree study opportunity. So, I just thought why not.
I chose a 2-year Master of Architecture/Landscape Architecture program. For this, many of my subjects are actually designed to build a solid foundation entering into the program after 3 years. In the first semester itself, we learned about the basics of design histories, using CAD softwares and programs, getting glimpses of what the industry would be like. There are lots more of these in the future and I can’t wait for what the future holds.
Have you thought of what you want to do once you graduate after your masters?
I think I will be in the architecture industry and hopefully gain enough experience to start my own company soon. But no one knows what how things will turn out, I might want to do more research on fascinating topics that I find in the future. Anyways, I will try to merge western design concepts with the eastern ones to connect cultures. Furthermore, social media has become a very powerful way to influence other people. I want to do vlogs or produce videos on social platforms in general.
Interested in applying for a scholarship?