It seems like from what you are saying Pratt would be the best combination of the assets you like about RISD, Syracuse, and SCI. Pratt is a great school for design like RISD, ranked in the top 10, there is no foundation year like RISD, small but not too small. Pratt is also pretty specialized and focused so if you really love architecture you can take the most architecture courses for your degree rather than being forced to take more liberal arts and art courses like the other schools. Location is also a major factor in my opinion. Where do you envision practicing when you complete your degree? Where us the best location for you to have professors that can offer you jobs or summer internships? Go wherever you want to work eventually. Don't underestimate NYC with all its museums and firms. There's alot of building going on there. LA could also be good. Being near Cornell means nothing as there's no benefit. Regardless all are good choices. From what you say though Pratt seems like the best everything you wanted. Good luck and keep us posted.

Thank you for your rounded response Archi49, well, actually you are right, from what I wrote Pratt seems like the best fit, however there are some missing info on my first entry. I attended Pratt's Pre-College program for architecture and liked it at the time of my attendance, but for some reason I can't picture myself spending 5 years in it. It sounds weird and stupid but I can't explain why, I just don't feel close to it. By the way, it may have been 9th this year but in last 10 year's rankings Pratt rarely made it to top 10. I don't take rankings as the main factor of my choice but I consider them.

I am an international student, I have been to east coast several times, saw NYC and Boston and liked them. I also had the chance to see Syracuse's Slocum Hall but couldn't see the whole campus due to lack of time. I have never been to LA but from what I hear and read I can not see a reason not to like it. If you ask me where I envision myself in the future, I do not know. I've heard from some people that job opportunities are better in west coast, maybe that could be a factor, but as I said, I just heard it from a couple of people. 

I am currently leaning towards Syracuse because of its being a big university and impressive network in the east coast. The school's Advisory Board is an impressive collection of principals and founders of great firms. All the lectures and events going on are also nice.

On the other hand, SCI-Arc has established a brand new fabrication place called "Magic Box" and has like tripled its fabrication resources. Do you know if the Robot House at SCI-Arc is an important part of its undergraduate curriculum or is it more like an advanced tool for graduate students ?  

@zetran what did you do to get into all the above universities? Sat score? I'm an international student as well so i needed help.

Thanks.

Hello Kanav,

             My reasoning super score was 2050 with 750 in math, 630 in cr and 670 in writing. Other than that I had 750 in math2 and another 750 in physics. I can not really give you any numbers about my GPA because of my school's weird grading system. All I can tell is my sat scores were stronger than my GPA when compared, because I really slacked in 9th grade.  

            Other than academics, I prepared a portfolio with more than 20 pieces which included graphite drawings, observational real world drawings, perspective, nude and different kinds of techniques like charcoal or oil paint. I had 2 3-D pieces, one of which was a model of a small building. 

            Other than those you should also do some community stuff and get involved. I would recommend doing something related with environment since schools (and of course the rest of the world lol) are interested in people leaning towards sustainable design. 

             Hope it helps !

Thanks man @zeltran ,it did.I'm preparing for my SAT and I reckon that I'll get around those numbers myself too.But the problem is that I didn't opt for physics in class 11(junior high),so that's a negative in my application.Also,that's the reason I can't really give the SAT 2 in physics.Also,I really don't know where to start with my portfolio.

Not having physics is not a huge problem, try to have a as high as possible math 2 score and that will do. I worked with a studio instructor for my portfolio, I highly recommend working with a professional, it really helps.

slow down.

you probably need a foundation year.

thats why its called the foundation year,

@boy in a well I couldn't understand what you mean by "slow down". With or without the foundation year, for many schools you have to have a good-looking portfolio to get admitted. It is achievable without attending a studio but I would recommend going to a studio if one can.