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Pratt vs USC vs SCAD

Hello.I have received admits from Pratt , USC and Scad. Pratt is giving me a scholarship of USD 15k per year so that makes my tuition  34k per year. USC is giving me a scholarship of 17k per year which makes my tuition 39k per year and SCAD is giving me a scholarship of 19.5k per year which makes my tuition 17k per year.

According to the ranking I should go to USC but economically SCAD seems like a better option and Pratt being in New York has its own advantages. I love the curriculum of all 3 universities.

Any insights would be immensely appreciated as I am finding it difficult to select a college. Thank You.

 
May 7, 18 11:26 am
Non Sequitur
Take the cheapest. Even 17k per year is too much for an arch degree.
May 7, 18 11:28 am  · 
1  · 
BR.TN

You're going way too far with this. SO many Ivy League M.Arch grads go on to become millionaires. It's not the majority, but it certainly is a higher percentage than Non-Ivy League graduates.

May 8, 18 5:30 pm  · 
 ·  1
BR.TN

My post got chopped-n-screwed somehow. It should read: 

You're going way too far with this. 

Architecture is one of the most prestigious professions in the world, both academically and practically. 

SO many Ivy League/Top 5 M.Arch grads go on to become millionaires. It's not the majority, but it certainly is a higher percentage than Non-Ivy League/Top 5 graduates. Many of the world's most successful firms are run by graduates of these programs and you should stop selling them short - they deserve your respect. Their students and faculty of those programs are among the most intelligent minds in the world, and it's been that way since their inception. That quality of education costs more than 17k a year and it is deemed worth it by everyone who pays the price.

May 8, 18 5:44 pm  · 
 ·  1
Non Sequitur

You're delusional.

May 8, 18 8:43 pm  · 
1  · 
BR.TN

No, it just seems that way because my post got chopped in two parts

May 9, 18 11:00 am  · 
 ·  1
Spoons

So many? I don't think it's a huge number and certainly not something that should factor in when picking a school.

May 10, 18 8:23 pm  · 
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thatsthat

Rankings don't matter a ton so I wouldn't put much stock into that.

Yes SCAD is hands down a better deal.  They're a big enough name that you'll be able to get a decent job, and it's way cheaper to live there than NYC.  Pratt is cool - I used to live in Brooklyn so I get it - but you're going to be bleeding money just to live.  Architecture school is already stressful, you don't want to add money stress on top of school.  Not sure if this is your first architecture degree, but you'll also have to pay for books, model supplies, printing fees, etc., not only tuition.  Add living prices on top of that and I think the choice is pretty clear on which is the best choice.

May 9, 18 11:40 am  · 
 · 
Shamika

Sorry I forgot to mention that I am an international student and hold a b.arch degree from India. This degree that i have applied for is M.arch(First Professional). So you are suggesting I should clearly choose SCAD?

May 9, 18 12:55 pm  · 
 · 
thatsthat

In my opinion, yes you should choose SCAD.

May 9, 18 2:07 pm  · 
 · 
archinine
Really depends on what you’re looking to get out of the degree. If it’s to play the visa lottery and look for work in the US, you’re going to be hard pressed to find many job openings in Savannah, Georgia. And no, SCAD is not a big name. You should take a closer look at the USC program, pretty sure they don’t offer an M.Arch first professional degree. Again that’s if you’re looking to make a life in the US, get a license here etc. It may be worth the extra expense upfront to go to a more connected school in a city where there are jobs and your network will stay with you throughout your career. Moving to a new country, applying for a visa etc etc is incredibly expensive period, and the cost of the school is negligible compared to the time and anguish you’ll spend navigating US immigration. Of course even after all that money and time spent, it’s still a lotto with no guarantee.

If you fully intend to leave the US entirely after obtaining the degree, and you aren’t wealthy, then SCAD is perfectly suffice.
May 9, 18 8:39 pm  · 
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thatsthat

Really good points!

May 10, 18 9:38 am  · 
 · 
Crosshatch

Not sure whether you are looking at bachelors or masters programs, but USC does in fact offer a five year bachelors, MArch II (2 years/pre-professional) and MArch I (3 yrs/non-pre-professional) recognized by NAAB. See the NAAB Catalog statement at...

https://arch.usc.edu/programs/...

May 10, 18 3:27 pm  · 
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Go to USC
May 9, 18 11:55 pm  · 
 · 
BulgarBlogger

you people really dont get it do you: an Ivy league education by itself is not what makes one successful or a millionaire. If one got into one of those schools he probably would become successful even if he did not go to thaf school. 

May 10, 18 4:39 pm  · 
 · 
BR.TN

I hope you know that I understand that, and I largely agree. However, it's important to acknowledge that a prestigious degree can or will open many doors for you For instance, if you graduate from GSD and get hired by a starchitect that is biased toward hiring GSD grads - now you have earned yourself an opportunity to learn why and how that starchitect got so successful in the first place. It's no coincidence that many, if not most, globally successful architects today used to work for a globally successful architect when they were younger. It's still an industry of apprenticeship.

May 10, 18 10:11 pm  · 
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BR.TN

And, subsequently, from the aspect of an architectural entrepreneur seeking outside-funding from loans or investors, similar to these millennials with their hoity-toity start-ups, having a prestigious degree would absolutely help secure a larger amount of financing due to the person's prior accomplishments .

May 10, 18 10:16 pm  · 
 · 
Beepbeep

The USC degree is a IPAL Integrated Path to Architectural License which means you can obtain your license upon graduation of the M.arch. It could be nice to obtain this being an International student?

USC seems to be a pretty good option, but if it is only money based do SCAD? It is what you make of it in the end.

https://arch.usc.edu/programs/...

May 10, 18 9:55 pm  · 
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Spoons

I think SCAD also does the misguided IPAL program as well

May 10, 18 11:14 pm  · 
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