Go where you will not incur major debt. If you are incurring major debt, DO NOT ATTEND EITHER PROGRAM.

Bruv, you should be engaged enough to figure this out yourself- you did get admitted after all.

As a person who has lived and worked in NYC for years, I can say that the both school are respected and valued in NYC. In fact, there are some offices that only take people from those schools.

In my personal GSD has got more resources, like for example they have better labs and even have got a robotic arm, which would be interesting for me as person who is interested in material studies and fabrication.

^ So GSD has laser cutters that you can just walk up to and use during finals?

Doubtful... 

 

^ they have 2 accessible laser printers that you can use without signup (lower wattage), and 5 more (or 4...can't remember) high-power machines that require sign-up. Usually specific time-slots are reserved for each course during finals, and I'm sure the frenzy is less intense than other schools.

Came back for another comment for which others might think i'm a prick, but i'm just being honest here. Although both are very good schools, still the GSD is considered more prestigious. I know who have degrees from both schools, and he told me that people's eyes get bigger for the Harvard on his resume. Of course, this is a debatable idea in architecture, but that's just how the world generally is. I also agree with Unamuno that the studio environment regarding resources and facilities are better in GSD, and the M.arch1 program at the GSD produces interesting work every year (I'm sure that GSAPP does as well). Unless you're drawn to a specific pedagogy or professor, and as long as your financial conditions are fine, I encourage you to go to the GSD.

Very personal decision. It's hard for people who don't know you and your interests to comment usefully here.

Both schools should have offered to put you in touch with current and recent students to talk through what you're looking and hoping for, and what the schools are like these days. If they haven't, email the admissions office to ask for some contacts!

All, thank you very much for your helpful opinions (some not so helpful), but certainly invoking some food for thought regardless. 

I should have prefaced my question stating that I definitely understand that the personal ramifications will be different for each person, as are the innumerable nuanced motivations for deciding which program would suit an individual over another. 

If anyone could attest to either of these programs (insofar as facilities, curriculum, professors, research, travel, etc are concerned), in their own personal journey attending either GSD or GSAPP, that would be enormously helpful because, as we all know, regardless of how much research you can do and how prepared you feel going in, these are still immense decisions that one wouldn't really know fully unless they went through the program themselves. 

Any further opinions from GSAPP or GSD alums are welcome. I have been speaking to current students of both programs and want to continue to solicit opinions from those on this forum as well.