As the academic year begins, architecture students are entering the next stage in their design education, be it starting a new undergraduate or postgraduate degree or beginning a new semester midway through their studies. If you are one of the many students embarking on this next chapter, we offer you not only our congratulations and best wishes but also a non-exhaustive collection of thoughts and advice to support your journey. Do you have advice for architecture students as the new school season begins, beyond those set out below? Let us know in the comments.

Archinect City Guide takes on Brooklyn today with the help of Quilian Riano, dean of Pratt Institute’s School of Architecture, founder of DSGN AGNC, Architectural League of New York board member, Architecture Lobby activist, and former senior editor for Archinect in its early days, among many other hats he wears in the design and academic community.  Riano shares with us his favorite Brooklyn spots for the city's best donuts (he recommends trying the pistachio), a hot bowl of salmon ramen, and a selection of must-visit sites for architecture and design aficionados visiting the borough. Using the handy Google Map he prepared for us makes finding all these places a breeze! Are you a Brooklyn local with your own go-to spots? Or have a city you think we should cover next? Share your thoughts, suggestions, and favorite places in the comments. For Manhattan tips, check out our recent City Guide with Julia Gamolina of Madame Architect.

Ready to explore Mexico City? With a population of well over 22 million, this bustling metropolis has A LOT to offer. So we asked award-winning Mexican architect and educator Michel Rojkind to host this Archinect City Guide and share a few select locations that architecture and design aficionados visiting the city would also enjoy. Keep reading for some of his personal favorite CDMX spots for outstanding tacos and ceviche, refreshing cocktails and vinyls, unique books and museums, y mucho más.  Are you a Mexico City local with your own go-to spots? Or have a city you think we should cover next? Share your thoughts, suggestions, and favorite places in the comments.

In this episode of our Studio Snapshot series, Archinect connected with Matt Dennis, founder of Bolt Design Group. Based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, the high-end multidisciplinary design and build firm specializes in large-scale hospitality, commercial, and residential spaces. The 15-person studio is dedicated to uniting architecture, fabrication, and construction under one roof. Grounded in a collaborative, detail-driven approach, Bolt values staying small enough to know every project intimately while delivering work that is both operationally smart and emotionally resonant. Our conversation explores Bolt’s integrated design–build model, their emphasis on staying small yet impactful, the qualities they seek in resourceful, hands-on hires, and the challenge of balancing creative vision with the realities of running a business. (Bolt is currently hiring for several positions on Archinect Jobs!)

As AI adoption in the job application process surges, I pit myself against four leading AI tools to craft a cover letter for a fictional architecture job. After a 'spot the human' challenge among Archinect's editors and our readers, I share my thoughts on both the experience of using AI to prepare a cover letter and where I will and will not use it in the future.