What Students Are Saying
After completing Firm Foundations 2025, students were invited to share anonymous reflections on their experience in the program. The quotes below indicate pain points, shifting expectations and discoveries. Together, they reveal the less measurable, but deeply impactful effects of the program.
Moments of self-realization
“I am surprised how invested I became in the simulations. This reaction really helped me thrive, however, because I was trying to be strategic and come out on top. Now looking back, I am not as surprised by this response because I am a very competitive person. Having this be a simulation rather than a typical class allowed me to be competitive and really see myself thrive and grow like I haven't in other classes.”
Given the chance to push themselves in meaningful contexts, students begin to see how their personality traits actually operate in the world, for better and sometimes for worse. Their self-understanding deepens from “I have this trait” to “This trait showed up in this situation and shaped the outcome.” This shift creates a more mature form of self-awareness.
Learning the nuances of decision-making
“In some cases I discovered that I needed to react quickly. If I didn’t make decisions fast enough, it was already too late to get what I wanted in the simulation. It showed me how timing can matter just as much as the choices themselves.”
Students discover that decision-making is rarely about choosing among clean options. Real-world contexts are dynamic: time-sensitive, evolving and asymmetrical. Outcomes are shaped not only by what decisions are made, but how options are navigated. This builds practical judgment rather than abstract problem-solving.
Growing wisdom in the face of challenge
“I felt defeated when confronted with the fact that our firm was losing money earlier on in the Team Builder simulation. However, after some modifications, we got on the right track.”
Students learn that setbacks are not endpoints. They are turning points. By encountering difficulty, sitting with uncomfortable emotions, adapting their strategies, and eventually improving outcomes, students build resilience and experience the satisfaction that comes from earned progress rather than effortless success.
An expanding sense of possibility
“Some of the team management challenges pushed me. I would read them but have to come back later after some thinking. I was so invested! I found myself waiting on the simulation’s responses and becoming a bit too excited about all the possibilities.”
The simulations are not scripted or formulaic. They create open-ended worlds that invite - and require - self-directed exploration. All students operate in the same shared environment, but no two follow the same path. For some students, this initially feels overwhelming. For others, it sparks a sense of wonder and excitement. Either way, it is a form of practice in engaging the open possibilities of real life.
Initial skepticism - and earned trust
Skepticism toward simulations is reasonable. Many educational simulations feel shallow or artificial. Firm Foundations simulations are developed by experienced educators and practicing architects, grounding them in the realities of professional life while keeping them accessible and engaging for students. Students learn that trust is best not assumed. It is rightly granted incrementally through experience, as it is earned.
“I thought the simulations would be silly or not have much to offer in terms of practical experience, but I was wrong. I learned a lot and had a good time doing it.”
Discovering the ingredients of a personalized career path
“I was surprised that I enjoyed team management more than starting a studio. I learned that I really enjoy the human side of architecture. The personalities and the relationships. I liked helping people solve their problems.”
Students often enter the program with assumptions about their strengths and interests. When these assumptions are tested in realistic scenarios, deeper preferences emerge. For many students, this insight is clarifying - and sometimes transformative - reshaping how they imagine their future in architecture or related fields.