Inside Canada’s Only Accredited BLA Program with Emily Pham and Kaithleen Gacita

Emily Pham I'm Emily Pham, and I am in my fourth year. My involvement in landscape architecture at Guelph is that I'm a fourth-year rep, which is a new role this year. LASS (Landscape Architecture Student Society) introduced the idea of having a representative from every year to talk about deadlines, ideas, and opinions from each cohort. I just finished my thesis recently and now I'm starting capstone.

Kaithleen Gacita Yeah, so my name is Kaithleen G, but other people call me KC. I'm in second year, and I'm the LASS co-president, and the second-year student rep, and the mentorship program coordinator. We've had a mentorship program before, but it wasn’t fully implemented across all years. This year, we're trying to integrate it more into studio culture. Previously, we didn’t have year reps, which made coordination difficult, so last year we introduced that idea. I’m starting my second semester of my second year, which is typically one of the busiest years. Recently, I’ve been doing design competitions in and out of school and helping with the student rep committee.

Zach Curry What makes the second year the busiest year for you guys?

Kaithleen Gacita It's because of how heavy the courses are. The first year was mostly hand drawing and basics. The second year goes into AutoCAD while also applying it to projects. You're also trying to get the best grades possible for scholarships. The third year involves exchange or internships, so grades matter a lot. You're learning new things while being pushed academically.

Emily Pham One thing unique to University of Guelph this year is the student rep committee. We call it LASRC. It was formed this year with Professor Brendan Stewart and now includes BLA students from first to fourth year and master’s students. We also have a master’s professor, Steven Clarke, involved. We talk about how students are feeling about curriculum, workload, and studio culture. This started because the second year faced more challenges than usual transitioning. We try to find solutions like peer support, resources, and curriculum changes. Professors have been very open to feedback, especially post-COVID, when studio culture shifted. We've been encouraging workshops, resume boosters, and events. LASS also created BLA Dinners, where all cohorts get together, which has been a great change.

Kaithleen Gacita The committee bridges the gap between students and professors. For example, students had trouble with portfolios or AutoCAD, and we worked to update outdated plant inventories. Professors have been really receptive.

Emily Pham It's been really nice seeing professors and students open to change.

Kaithleen Gacita It’s a lot of work being a student rep and co-president, but seeing students thrive makes it worth it. Our program is competitive, but we’re all in it together.

Kaithleen Gacita One of our favorite courses is Materials and Techniques. We had guest lecturers from companies working with laser cutting, water, sound, and light. You can actually apply what you learn to projects.

Emily Pham Materials and Techniques was one of my favorites too. It helped with construction classes and understanding the industry. I also really enjoyed urban planning because I considered that career path. You work with real estate students and learn different perspectives, which ties into collaboration and cross-pollination.

Sam Clemente Is that course required?

Emily Pham Yes, for us and for real estate students.

Zach Curry We don’t get much cross-disciplinary work.

Kaithleen Gacita Urban planning is part of the environmental design college, not just landscape architecture. I’m taking it now and really enjoying it.

Zach Curry Our cohort started at about 45 and now we’re around 40. The UG3 class below us is the biggest we’ve had.

Emily Pham Our cohort started at 70 and dropped to about 55.

Kaithleen Gacita Ours started around 75 and is currently 69.

Zach Curry What’s your faculty ratio?

Kaithleen Gacita Last semester it was two professors for one cohort, which became one professor per 35 students instead of the intended 1:15. This semester, we now have three professors for studio.

Emily Pham Larger class sizes affect studio culture and desk crit time, but we rely on peers, TAs, mentors, and master’s students for feedback.

Kaithleen Gacita One benefit of a big cohort is peer support. Mentorship helps a lot. Events like BLA Dinners and various activities throughout the year help break the ice and build community.

Sam Clemente Is there hostility toward faculty because of limited time?

Kaithleen Gacita There was some strain, especially last semester. As student reps, we try to mitigate tension and support students while being realistic about what can change.

Sam Clemente Do you think being the only accredited BLA program in Canada contributes to class size?

Emily Pham Definitely! Other programs exist, but Guelph is the only accredited BLA. Acceptance rate is around 10%, with about 700 applicants per year.

Kaithleen Gacita People joke it’s like the Ivy League of our school. Admission focuses a lot on the supplementary form and passion for landscape architecture!

Emily Pham We hope to see you at LABASH. Guelph definitely will bring the energy!

Sam Clemente Awesome.

Zach Curry Thank you.

Emily Pham Nice meeting you guys. Bye.