My first semester at CMU School of Design studying for a master’s degree
’Tis the season for looking back and reflecting on the experiences.
“What would your younger self not believe about your life today?” I was prompted to answer this question when playing the card game We’re Not Really Strangers with some of my grad school classmates. “That I’m studying abroad here,” I said. “I didn’t even dare to speak English when I was in high school. Funny, huh?”
Now I’ve survived my first semester as a grad student here at Carnegie Mellon University’s School of Design. I’ve met amazing people, learned valuable lessons, and completed some fun projects.
I can’t wait to dive into what’s ahead, but before then I’d like to spend some time documenting what’s happened.
Before you start reading, I would like to thank you for spending your time here. And while you read, I hope you bear in mind that this represents one side of the story. Certainly, other people would have somewhat different thoughts in different aspects. ;)
Note: The MA program I’m in is for non-designers who want to cultivate design skills. The School of Design also offers other two graduate programs for experienced designers: MDes and MPS. You may find the information for the graduate programs here.
Table of Contents
1. My first impression: hard-working & kind people
2. Curriculum: from concept to execution
3. Cohort: small but diverse
4. Master's studio space: where we work and play
5. Assistantship
6. Life: new challenges, new people, new opportunities
7. Reflections and what's nextMy first impression: hard-working & kind people
Previously I had been warned several times that CMU was known for grueling workloads. I was in doubt at first, but then I moved into an apartment where I met a lot of incoming CMU students of other departments (mostly in Computer Science or Engineering) and saw their struggle with the pre-semester assignments. “My heart is in the work.” This famous quote from Andrew Carnegie haunted them.
During the orientation in the School of Design, in addition to all the self-introduction and a brief explanation of the programs, new first-year grad students were asked to do an interesting activity — color time slots to plan how to spend our time for each day. As the table started to fill up with all the colors, some were surprised at how little their free time would be.
After all the introductions and welcome remarks, all the new students went to explore the campus in groups, which was one of the few times that students from the 3 graduate programs (MA, MPS, MDes) in the School of Design got mixed during the first semester. Before the end of the day, current students and professors also came to have some chats with the new cohort. I am pretty bad at remembering people’s names and faces all at once, so I chose to familiarize myself with people I already met first. As a person who always feels uneasy when talking to people of higher rank, I also challenged myself to say hi to the professor I’ll be working for as a research assistant by creeping up on a circle formed around him.
And the next day there was an informal orientation that current students held for those newcomers. After another round of self-intros, they stressed several times the importance of self-care and sufficient sleep. I did not remember what my undergraduate orientation was like, but I was pretty sure mental health wasn’t as emphasized. Then I wondered, as a long sleeper, “am I gonna hold up in this?”
But in the first few weeks, I could feel that the School of Design is full of super encouraging and supportive people. I almost forgot what school was meant to be — a place for us to make mistakes and thus learn from them. Just like one professor once said in class:
There’s no better place than the grad school to get lost and take risks.
Every time I felt the thing I made or the idea I expressed was too basic or stupid, others would jump in and say it was terrific. But it is also possible that because the MA program is designed for those transitioning to design, the instructors have lower expectations of us.
All in all, people are busy and they walk super fast, but they still have time to chat a bit at any time. Even during class time, our instructors checked in with us about how we were doing quite often.
Curriculum: from concept to execution
The MA students are pre-registered for 4 required courses in the first semester, along with an optional one. I also registered for a mini-course that took place for half of the semester, but then I decided to audit it.
The courses are pretty self-explanatory in terms of their title, but I’ll try to share what I learned from and how I felt about each of them.
Seminar: Design Minds
According to the School of Design’s website, this course was actually once named Design Thinking. My guess is that the faculty didn’t want to limit the students to think of the discipline as just about the famous framework by Stanford’s D.School, so they changed the course title.
Since this is a seminar course, each week we had assigned readings or watchings to do at home and in class it was half discussion half lecture, if my memory is correct. In the beginning, we were introduced to materials that encourage us to think of Design beyond the canonical “Design Thinking”, and think about how the power to decide is established.
Afterward, we covered topics like systems thinking, inclusive design, and sustainability, which transformed the way we evaluate every design’s social impact. To be honest, we felt that we were too small to make any changes upon seeing the interconnectivity and the scope of the issues, but some of the guest lecturers and the professor also showed us several examples of locating the leverage points and innovating solutions, however insignificant they may appear.
Throughout this course, we did two major projects to develop our perspectives on Design:
- Book review
We chose a book about Design of our own interest to write a critical review and present in class. No recommended list was provided beforehand, but the professor also stated that he could prescribe books if necessary. Given that I’m particularly interested in the design of AI or Intelligent Machines, I chose to read Donald Norman’s The Design of Future Things. It was an easy read, but I would recommend The Design of Everyday Things more. Other selected topics include obsolescence, design as persuasion, storytelling, reflections on design, expert designer’s portfolio, etc. - Zine
Our final project was to show our perspective on the design mind. At first, we were puzzled by what should be the form and content of it, but throughout the lab sessions of the course, we developed the idea of what makes a good zine and what’s our take on the content. Also, many thanks to the sweet classmate who reached out to Jill to borrow the zine cart from the library so we got to see what the possibilities of zines are and take advantage of its many tools.
I would say our class did not limit ourselves to any fixed definition of what a zine should look like or convey. We had some works akin to postcards, meditation manuals, accordions, etc. Some were pure digital, some were wooden, collages, puzzle games, to name but a few. Some were even very unconventional zines — mystery bag and animation video.
Design Principles and Practices
This was a very compact survey course where many guest lecturers were invited to teach us design methods, ranging from sketching, desktop modeling, photography, human factors design, transition design, design writing, etc.
Given that every week a different guest lecturer spoke of a different topic, if there was an assignment, we had to finish it within 48 hours. Below is what we did for the desktop modeling project. On a Tuesday we just learned how to cut foam core with an X-Acto knife for the first time, and on Thursday each one of us created a container of our own: jewelry box, stationery organizer, mystery box, candle holder, etc. What a challenge!
Another fun assignment that we did was to think of some sort of design intervention for a business or service (also in 48 hours). It was kind of like an excuse for us to have field trips (yay!), but my group ended up with a nice solution to improve the navigation system at Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens: QR code boards installed in the doorway of each section of the garden that lead to an interactive site for people to pick from the trails of different purposes (quick path, kids-friendly, indoor path, etc) and follow the route they choose.
Some parts of the course were more job-oriented. Alumni or working professionals were invited to share their design process, work culture, etc. Since the MA program is just for one year, some might find it helpful to have more connections in the industry at this point.
Most projects in this course were done in a very short period of time, but there was the 100 Day Project that spanned the whole semester. Beginning from the very first day of the class, we did a “design operation” every day for 100 days. The materials and topics that each of us did were all very distinct: illustrations, photography, grid system, self-portrait, etc. My project was to handwrite a design quote each day, and I printed the quotes on stickers as giveaways for my classmates and instructors. Many of my classmates came to me to ask for more stickers (of a particular quote), so I guess if I cannot land a job in Interaction Design or UX Design in the end, I should sell stickers on Etsy, lol.
Studio: Visual Communication Fundamentals
At the beginning of this course, we learned basic typography, and then we jumped into the 3 major projects:
- Typographic system design
Using gradually increasing variables, we learned to create a typographic system for dense information on posters, flyers, and a mobile screen.
This was also when we learned to do design critique: giving actionable, specific, kind feedback (ASK Model). By discussing the alignments, visual elements, color usage, etc., we learned how to balance between readability and visual appeal. Interestingly, we could see how everyone’s design somehow reflected their own background, and how each of us pivoted.
- Design Principle Explainer Video
This was a project that I didn’t expect to do, to be frank, but I felt proud of myself at last. Starting from selecting one design principle to explain, we developed low-fidelity and high-fidelity storyboards, and then crafted the video in After Effects. Apart from the animation itself, writing the voiceover script and choosing the right background music also tested our skills to fully convey the idea. This was when I started to show more people what I had done to get feedback or advice (big thanks to my roommates, friends, people in the Master’s Studio, and TAs). - Visual System for Carnegie Science Center’s STEM Center
The final project is a client-based and open-ended team project where we researched the current assets and strategy of Carnegie Science Center, and designed a visual system to imbue innovation into the way its newly-established STEM center communicates with its constituents. The professor helped us form the team in a way that worked out really well. My teammate and I pushed each other and learned from each other from the research to the prototyping. The final presentation was open to the public, so we got really nice feedback and advice from the client and professors who came.
Overall, this course was pretty project-driven. We were also required to take a lab class to learn the design software: Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, and InDesign (exactly, the Adobe universe!). The instructor was a former MA student, so she could totally relate when we were struggling. However, since oftentimes we’d like to create more complicated or different effects for our own projects, we also watched and read a lot of online tutorials to self-teach.
At some point, we had a discussion with the professor about which was more important to put in the projects for our portfolio: the result, or the process? And we even asked whether the instructor really thought the projects we did were good enough to go on our portfolio. I won’t say I have an answer now, because sometimes it really depends. But at least I think we all did our best.
Colloquium (Optional)
This course was optional but was also pre-registered. Hence almost every new grad student took it, including the new PhD students. Each week one or two faculty members (mostly from the School of Design, but there were also HCII professors) would come and share their career and research. It was a nice opportunity to learn more about how the professors get to where they are now, and what they are doing.
Decoloniality: Past, Present & Future
I was interested in this course because I’d like to expose myself to a more philosophical and academic aspect of design. But after the course introduction, I thought that I might not be able to handle the workload at the end of the semester, so I reached out to the instructor to see if she would still teach the same course the next semester. It was very nice of her to offer me permission to audit instead of completely dropping it. This way, I still had access to the course materials and could participate in discussions without having to do all the assignments.
Overall, because the program aims at introducing those non-designers to the immense scope of the discipline, we get to develop a lot of new skills in a very short period of time. However, we had several discussions on how parts of the curriculum feel too academic, and parts of it too industry-driven. But I guess everyone wants different things from the program, so it is also important to know how to make the most out of it by reaching out to people and proactively exposing oneself to more opportunities. The definition of Design is quite fluid, so we have to formulate our own understanding of it throughout the program.
One professor once described the MA program as “something like gradually turning the heat up”. Indeed the workloads are getting grueling, but professors are flexible with deadlines if necessary. I also heard that the professors meet in the summer to make sure the deadlines don’t overlap too much but in the meantime still allow students to “experience” the workload.
In the first semester, all full-time MA students have basically the same fundamental courses, so we barely had chances to work with MDes and MPS students or see their works. Only by hanging out with them or going to the Design Week did we know what they were up to. Compared to their works, we felt like we were school children exploring around the playground, and they are the grown-ups doing some serious stuff. However, some MDes students also told me that they think the projects we did were so fun and diverse while theirs are boring and too serious. I guess it’s just natural that we all want what we don’t have. And imposter syndrome just never disappears since we constantly look for the better.
Cohort: small but diverse
First off, I love that we are only 13 people in the program, especially in the first semester for those transitioning to a new field of study. We are such a small group that we get to know each other well very soon, so every challenge we have faced felt like we were facing it together as a group.
Also, since the MA program welcomes non-designers, the cohort comes from all kinds of backgrounds: Accounting, Biology, Data Science, Drama, International Relations, Journalism, Languages and Literatures, Math, Psychology, etc. Sometimes the expertise reflects on the working style and the works. Over half of the cohort are international students, so it’s also very fun to see the diversified perspectives.
Interestingly, one professor said several times that this cohort was quiet; another professor also told us about his observation: during break time usually former MA cohorts would disperse and come back a bit late, but we don’t. Most of us stayed indoors resting or chatting, and we get back to the classroom on time.
Master’s studio space: where we work and play
One thing I like the most about the School of Design is that master’s students have their own studio space, where each graduate student enjoys a spacious seat. The seats are randomly assigned, but students can always negotiate to exchange among themselves. If necessary, students can also ask for keys to the cabinet in the School of Design’s Office.
This personal space serves as a place where we not only store our stuff but also show our works. People pass by and compliment the works, while we can also see what other folks are up to.
In addition to our personal desk space, other nice facilities include:
- Whiteboards that are put up on almost every wall. So we can always grab markers and start a discussion.
- A kitchen equipped with coffee machines, a microwave oven, utensils, etc. The downside of it is that some people are not that responsible. The sink is always full of moldy dishes and the fridge is filled with expired foods. A shout-out to those really nice people who helped clean this mess regularly.
- A dining space to have lunch and chat.
- A conference room where we can book for meetings or quiet study.
- A common space with a couple of sofas, desks, and chairs to do group discussions, just chill, or even take a nap.
Assistantship
The School of Design offers all grad students opportunities to do an optional assistantship for $4,000/year in exchange for 6 hours of work per week. Before the semester begins, students fill out a survey about their skills and interests to get matched with the professors.
In the first semester, I was assigned along with another MDes student to assist the professor with the exploratory research on “designers’ beliefs and values”. The topic we discussed included AI, echo chamber, language, cognitive dissonance, comfort zone, etc. I sometimes doubted whether things I was interested in would be of use to the professor. Gladly the professor said several times that they were helpful.
I also heard that there are research assistants who participated in projects like data visualization, teaching assistants that just took attendance or wrote blog posts about the class. So what we’ll do for the assistantship really depends.
An additional bonus for international students from the assistantship is that because it’s an on-campus job, we could apply for the Social Security Number in the USA, which sometimes makes our life a bit easier.
Alright, that's enough about work. Let’s talk a bit about my life here.
Life: new challenges, new people, new opportunities
Actually, this is also my first time living in another country in a completely independent way. I mean, I was an exchange student in Spain for half a year, but I received a boarding scholarship, so I barely had to worry about what groceries or supplies to buy, where to get food… I didn’t even have to do any cleanings. But moving to a completely unfurnished apartment, planning and organizing common space with roommates that I just met over a Facebook group, cooking the Taiwanese dishes I miss, meeting a bunch of other incoming master’s students from all over the place… all of these were pretty fresh to me.
Luckily I live in an apartment where a lot of Taiwanese students also are. It was pretty nice to hang out with people who share the same backgrounds before the semester kicked off. I was also invited to do a meaningful project: I designed how we could paint the Fence, one of CMU’s landmarks, on Taiwan’s National Day. Even though I’m far from home, I still feel deeply connected with my homeland.
A few weeks after school started, the MA cohorts also began to hang out very often: gatherings to celebrate the ending of projects, going to a theme park on Halloween, escape room, hot pot party, etc. Moreover, since the graduate students come from different cultures, we also celebrated cultural festivals like Mid-Autumn Festival and Diwali.
There were also a lot of activities happening in the School of Design on campus that we can take advantage of. For example, the School of Design invites alumni and all kinds of designers to speak in Design Lecture Series. And the final week is traditionally known as the Design Week in the School of Design, when all design students showcase and celebrate their work and projects. I went to see freshman and senior students’ works…they are all super talented!
Fortunately, in the first semester, the pandemic did not greatly exacerbate, so most of the courses were delivered in person. We always wear masks in school, so sometimes when we see each other’s faces we feel bizarre.
In general, I have enjoyed my life here. Most of the time I got enough sleep (my roommates even think that I’m always sleeping…which I wish was true, lol). But in the final weeks, I spent so much time on screen doing final projects that my eyes were hurting, so I had to get off-grid for a while.
Reflections and what’s next
It’s been a very valuable experience for me. I wish I had more time to learn from and work with my peers and professors. It is a pity that the government scholarship I receive to study abroad doesn’t sponsor a second master's degree; otherwise, I would definitely continue my studies here without any hesitation. After all, everything comes with a price. My plan, for now, is that I’ll first try to get a summer internship (fingers-crossed), fulfill my obligation that comes along with the scholarship, and see if I can come back.
To be honest, I planned to write several posts about my first week, my first month, and then my first semester here. But guess what? I just finished this one post and tomorrow I’ll begin my second semester here! Wooooah.
Anyways, I look forward to what I’ll learn in the second semester, as I’ll meet new people and learn new stuff in electives. And hopefully, my plan will succeed.
If you happen to be interested in knowing more about MDes and MHCI program at CMU, here are some great articles to get a glimpse of them:
That’s it! Let me know if there are any comments or advice ❤️…or design opportunities!
My email: tsailinglei.info@gmail.com
