You should write honestly about why you want to go there...whatever that may be.

They already know what sets them apart, I don't think telling them that will help you.

GSD is not the only post grad school in Boston [or Cambridge, really] that's of any use. MIT has a very respectable post grad program and they also have the Media Lab.

That said, perhaps the reason the GSD is so special is that Harvard has the largest endowment of any school in the US.

Or perhaps the legacy of Gropius was more powerful than we think.

you should tell them that the reason you want to go there is so that you can, in the future, tell people that you went there..that is why most people want to go there

If you are in Boston you should visit BAC, MIT and maybe drive or train down to RISD in Providence. Then you will have something to compare GSD to.

I think its the connections, because most of the ivy people are employed, and if you know somebody, they can recommend you too if the firm is looking for people, so I think its the connections you get from ivy league schools is more important than the education.

shaheen.

The real answer is because Preston Scott Cohen is such a silver fox.

According to some of the posters here (see the Design Intelligence Ranking thread), GSD is the type of place you should go only if you want to Work for firms like Morphosis and OMA.

lol

I'd say that the unique thing is not the endowment, but the tuition they charge, even though they don't have to. If I were applying, I'd tell them i' like to have the same relationship with my clients.

Or just tell than that you want to write an archinect school blog, and since the harvard students are the only ones who write them anymore, it is clear you have to go there to have something to blog about.

Thanks guys. Some of your responses have been helpful. I'll just write about what specialization interests me and explain how the GSD's curriculum and opportunities will help me to achieve it.