The life of an Arkie is one of the more mysterious college experiences that Notre Dame offers. There is a certain amount of pride that comes from being the smallest academic school on campus. There are 128 current undergrads, and that includes all 5 years. We are an intimate, insane, and exhausted island of misfits. The only people that truly comprehend the nocturnal habits of the average Arkie are those unfortunate enough to be our roommates. Luckily, I was a member of the Ryan sixchick last year, and my roommates accepted and loved me despite my stumbling into the room at 4 a.m. drunk on graphite and dazed by incessant fluorescent lighting. If climbing into bed seemed too precarious, the futons were always there to support my sweet architectural dreams. When times are particularly tough, Arkies have been known to nap in a variety of places. Here are some examples: under/atop drafting tables, in the freshman studio or computer lab, on the sofas in the gallery/library of Bond Hall, or seated at SDH. As you can tell, we’ve adapted and will soon take over as the new human race.

Before you leave this article thinking that all Arkies are agoraphobic robots, you should know some of the best parts about being an architecture major at Notre Dame. Some of my favorite memories are laughing like a kid while sprinting through the snow at 1a.m. to get coffee at LaFun, wasting time sitting in a circle on the floor of studio, playing catch on Bond quad, eating 7a.m. breakfasts at SDH after an all-nighter, and celebrating the ends of projects with Arkie parties. All the stupid things we’ve done and traditions we’ve created made the 34 other people in my class some of my closest friends. Sometimes we hate each other and get frustrated (which has caused a lot of us to get noise cancelling headphones) but we all know we’re going through the same thing.

Now I am living with my classmates in Rome for this whole academic year. While it is a privilege to be experiencing this ancient city and studying all the architectural monuments it has to offer, I do miss Notre Dame. I miss the changing leaves and seeing a familiar face everywhere I turn. I miss my friends more than words can describe, and my heart sinks when I remember that we’ll only have a year left by the time we’re all together again. Such is the struggle of a Notre Dame Arkie. Once you think you finally set some foundations, you suddenly have to change the design, and try to keep building when you eventually get back to the foundations you started with.