Hi Everyone! I'm new to this forum, and really excited to say that I've been accepted to the M.Arch 3-year programs at USC, Woodbury, and CU Denver (my local school). Woodbury gave me a $16,000 merit scholarship plus a research assistantship, and USC gave me $9000. That makes USC about 50,000 in tuition alone, and Woodbury about 20,000.

I am looking for general thoughts about these two programs and how they compare to one another. What kind of architects graduate from these two schools? What do firms think of them? What do their portfolios tend to look like? How widespread are the alumni networks? 

If cost wasn't an issue, I prefer USC because of its size, alumni network, research opportunities, and educational philosophy. Woodbury seems more like a second choice kind of school, whereas many kids would k*ll to go to USC. I am interested in going to a school where my classmates are excited to be there, where I have to work harder to prove myself, and where alumni will be generous with time and connections. Woodbury doesn't seem "bad" by any measure, just not as nice as USC.

Thank you for reading this and I very much appreciate any thoughts y'all might have on this!