This post will be dense with questions. I’ve seen other people make the same exact post of Syracuse vs. Pratt (or just comparing colleges in general…), but I would still like opinions that are more recent.

I’m currently deciding between Syracuse and Pratt for a B.Arch. I don’t care about the environment in each school, like the fact that Syracuse is a party school, and that Pratt basically has no campus. I’m solely concerned with what each B.Arch program has to offer in terms of schoolwork/how they will help develop my portfolio, how they would adequately prepare my future career as an architect, and how I could grow my mind as a designer.

First off, I’ve heard that jobs/firms/internships do not care about which school I came from, and that the only things that matter will be the skills I’ve learned and the quality of my portfolio. However, I know Syracuse and Pratt have different ways of teaching architecture (Syracuse = technical, Pratt = design?).

1. Will jobs/firms prefer one style over the other?

2. Bigger question: Which school will more effectively teach me the necessary skills to build a concrete portfolio and prepare me for the real world… or will this entirely be dependent on myself and how I decide to use the resources in each school?

Secondly, about the location of each school. Yes, some will say Pratt is better than Syracuse because of its location in NYC instead of upstate NY.

1. However, I plan to stay home in NYC during summers anyway, so internships in the city will be accessible to me - but once I move back to Syracuse in the beginning of the school year, will this ruin my internship?

2. General question: will staying in upstate NY as an architecture student for the majority of the school year be a detriment to my future career, in terms of making connections? Will I be missing opportunities that are otherwise available if I were to go to undergrad in NYC?

Thirdly, I’ve seen people comment “just pick whatever school is cheaper”. Syracuse’s tuition will be more than double of Pratt’s tuition. However, isn’t there a reason why some schools are better known for their architecture program than others? For example, the notion that “Syracuse has a better arch program, and Pratt isn’t THAT well known for their program” (This is just what I’ve heard from others).

1. Is it worth spending more money at Syracuse to know certain professors, take advantage of their resources, etc? Or is every B.Arch school more or less the same - if so, why?

Thank you for reading through all of this. If there's anything that I should specify, please let me know.