Senior Interior Design Student Review: Q&A with Emma Stachowski

As the school year begins this week in Indiana for many college students, we wanted to ask Emma Stachowski, a recent college graduate, former IDO intern, and now full-time IDO design associate about her college experiences in the Interior Design field.

What did you focus on as an Interior Design student?

“In my classes, we are taught the baseline topics and terminology that are then applied more in-depth when we get into the professional field. I was introduced to multiple design-based software that is regularly used like AutoCAD, Revit, Enscape, and Adobe applications. In addition, the design process – programming, schematic design, and design development were strongly encouraged in my classes and are used in design firms.”

What was the biggest takeaway from your time in college?

“My professors will say, and I have experienced firsthand, that each firm has its processes on how they prefer tasks to be handled. For example, comparing the 2 internships I had, each company has a different way of how they like to set up its construction doc templates. I have found that being adaptable is very important.”

Were your experiences helpful in transitioning from college senior to full-time associate?

“An aspect I feel that was missed in class was real-life client-based projects with budgets. This has become more of an eye-opener when I started working in a design firm. Additionally, not every design developed will be liked by the client or meet the company’s standards. Communication and problem solving with real-life clients were other areas in which we could have had more experience within my classes.”

Get to know Emma and our other design associates on our About page. If you are interested in IDO’s internship or career opportunities, connect with us here!