My biggest regret is not studying in more detail something that is a niche area that will make you different from all other grads. Whether you want to hear about the current economic times or not they will play some role in your time at school and when you graduate. Think about what is going to make you more marketable than all the other grads, all the people still trying to find work etc and go in that direction with something you truly are passionate about. I went to LA school so I could work as a golf course architect and in my junior year went to visit one of the world’s most reknown designers. I saw first had that he had maybe 9 people in his office located in CA and 70% of them were grads from Kansas State because LA’s had or have a minor there in golf course architecture. Here I am in the office of one of the best designers in world, and he has a staff of 9!!!! WOW. At that time I also spoke with an LA working for another designer and he was trying to get out of the golf course world as he wanted diversity in the types of projects he was working on. he was sick of designing golf hole after golf hole and was VERY talented. Where I am going with this, is figure out what you are passionate about and what will be in demand in 3 or 4 years that not a lot of folks will be able to market themselves as. Remember in the real world, Landscape Architectural elements are desired by all, BUT not a necessity. That means the budget gets cut often and the services limited. What can you do where this does not happen? I am associated with a very large international firm and I would say nuclear and solar power will gain more attention, the ecological role of a Landscape Architect will increase and also waterways. We also write a lot of grants and bring people money. That usually goes over well!! Good luck
