i dont know parsons or pratt,

but if you get into USC for their B.ARCH program then its a no brainer. woodbury shouldn't even be into consideration. just no good faculty

IF i got into USC then of course woodbury wouldn't even be an option at that point, but considering my current situation its out of Pratt, NSAD, Woodbury and possibly Parsons

not knowing those two programs, id choose NY over woodbury.

pratty/parsons will at least have some connections in an NY firm and if you were to relocated to LA it would be good advantage (i dont know if it's easier, but certainly having NY under your belt is a plus)

going to woodbury wouldn't help you out in both cases. LA is saturated with UCLA/USC/SCI-ARC + East coast people.

im in NYC now and i don't know anybody from woodbury

and what the hell is new school of architecture and design?

you're going to have a better experience in NY than those two So.Cal schools. unless you really like the weather in SO.CAL

I guess it's just down to Parsons and Pratt then, NSAD is an architecture school in san diego on woodbury tier level i guess

NSAD is not Woodbury tier anything.

Our President is on the front page of Archinect if you look.  http://archinect.com/news/article/149937490/newschool-president-marvin-malecha-about-his-big-plans-for-the-school-and-san-diego If you get into those other schools, go there for sure, but NewSchool is on the upswing in terms of talent. The last batch or two to graduate did some pretty amazing things. I'm 3rd year B.Arch there. PM me if you want any details.

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Zuko,

Here is my experience. I got into Woodbury, Pratt and other schools too.

- Pratt has a great reputation amongst my teachers. My colleague was recommended by a president at a big firm to go Pratt because Pratt has a good blend of technical and theoretical and she was told USC was traditional and didn't push boundaries. But other colleagues decided to go there because with guidance they could navigate to more design savvy instructors, they got good scholarships and appreciate the networking possibilities.

- Don't know much of New School.

- Double check this, but I think Parsons is not an accredited program which means you wouldn't be able to get a license to practice immediately after going there.

- Woodbury's faculty has taught at Sci-Arc and USC as well as other places. They seem to have moved around between LA schools. The past years they have been focused on strengthening the program. The local LA firms I have spoken to have said their students come out great and ready for the field.  Barbara Bestor teaches at Woodbury and she worked with Thom Mayne and has won awards. Other faculty there have worked with Michael Rotondi and their students have gone on to work at Gensler, Morphosis and anywhere else you can name it seems. Ultimately thats up to the students though, but the school is beyond capable and it is my judgement that something special is going on, where people will look back years from now and acknowledge that a new wave came out of Woodbury at this time. They also have a straight to license program for qualifying students which is an extra year, but it places students with firms where they get paid, gets their hours done and puts them in position to have a license when graduating. People wiser than me have said its a great program and a good balance between theoretical and technical. 

Honestly, you need to look at what your rent is going to cost you, how you are going to pay the bills while in school and how much your loans will be when you get out. Do you want to go back for a Masters or do you want to do it all at once through a B. Arch. Pratt is very well known throughout the entire United States. Parsons is also well known but not as much as Pratt. The professors at Woodbury also teach at UCLA, SCIARCH, USC, UCSD and sometimes also at places like Yale or Auburn University as adjunct. In my experience, where you went to school only matters at the beginning of your career then drops off after once you have established yourself in the professional world. Private schools are nice due to small class size but they can be expensive. Please look into what your estimated costs are for each program, look at what city you want to work in when you graduate and then look at if name is important to you. The world becomes a brutal play when those student loan payments start to be billed out and you realize how little your take home is when you first graduate. Student loans are no joke!

I graduated from NSAD in '07 - one of the lead designers where I work graduated in '13 - the recent grads from NSAD are pretty sharp

I graduated in 2012 from Woodbury and honestly, most of the professors have ties to SCI-ARC. The school is great and the Architecture program is becoming better.  Personally, I chose Woodbury over SCI-ARC.