protip1, don't base major adult decisions on the opinions of anonymous wankers in web forums.

protip2, choose the cheapest option.

I went to Yale. My ex went to UCL. Go to Yale. She'd agree. 

Now that doesn't take into account anything else. Seriously consider the overall cost (incl living) for both programs. But MOST importantly, where do you want to end up geographically? You'll make more money in NYC than London (I've worked in both), paying off that debt. Do you want to be licensed in either the UK or US? It is very cost prohibitive to transfer a license between countries (I've tried). 

the most practical thing you get out of grad school are possible employer connections and employer recognition, so think about for who/where you want to work. also, 3 years is way too long. not worth it at any school as i look back on things. 

Absolutely UCL Bartlett. But it really depends on your style. Yale is an extremely extremely practical school, while Bartlett is on the opposite end of the scale in terms of creativity freedom. Yale can be considered conservative with more traditional architectural education, crafting skills, social context etc. Bartlett is all about technology, imaginative and visionary expression, artistic authenticity, and individualism. But also Bartlett has like 20 different styles because of their Unit system which is really different from any schools in the US. In comparison within the US, GSD MIT GSAPP are much more progressive than Yale and Cornell. Yale is the most practical one out of the big five, so if you prefer something more attached to the reality and future job experience for a traditional architect position. If you like hand modeling, straight lines no curves, unsaturated rendering style, Yale. If you like Zaha stuff, or want to explore Houdini, Maya, Unreal, coding, robotics, Bartlett.

Hi, I have been accepted to Yale and am waiting to hear back from the Bartlett as i applied super late like on the last day on a whim. I'm a British student so that really should affect my decision, its cheaper to study at the Bartlett for me and I can get a government student loan for fees and maintenance with low interest.

HOWEVER, if I am accepted to the Bartlett alongside my other offers which span schools in London (AA,RCA) , EU and US (GSD,SCi-ARC)  (which I think is highly likely as I was accepted last year - declined as I wanted to work at my current practice for another year), I would still probs choose Yale. I was also granted significant financial aid from Yale and am currently negotiating said amount for a higher offer so the costs will probably work out the same in loans. 

Aside from the financial situation, my reasoning is firstly that I believe Yale breeds a more harmonious environment in terms of relationship between students, faculty and in turn, this leads to a more fulfilling and exploratory work output. From my first interaction as an admitted student with the YSOA faculty I have felt so welcomed and cared for, with Joyce reaching out to me and constantly checking in on me and my needs. She has also gotten me in touch with several current students who have been so nice and really informative about their experiences! In contrast, the Bartlett is super competitive, some people may thrive off this but it is a really toxic environment. There are recent accounts of people turning on their studio mates, lots of people hide their work, theres hardly room for conversation about work with colleagues.. its just not a nice situation and can breed anxiety.  A lot of my friends have studied at the Bartlett over the last 6 years or so and have experienced this and also have ptsd from it as a result.. and many of them have been the recipients of student awards etc, but have found it hard to find architectural or related work post study. Bartlett students typically go on to work at practices such as Foster and partners and Rogers, but if thats not your thing it could be hard to find your way away from that..  This is because the Bartlett is known to be more of a factory of beautiful drawings as opposed to work that is rooted in spatial principles, theory and actual architectural design. This is why these students go onto work at the more corporate firms that value extreme output. 

Representation and visualisation is highly important and although the Bartlett is known for harnessing this in their students, I believe Yale teaches you to do it too - true orthographic representation is taught from Core I, and from what I've seen in current Yale student work they are highly expressive of lineweights and the attention to deal is also prominent. Additionally, there are modules which allow you explore your own drawing language so its really up to you to explore the kind of drawing you want to do and softwares you want to pick up.. I plan on engaging with animation and image making so want to explore more cinema3d and blender softwares whilst at Yale.. I am certain there is support for this too. 

My feeling is that Yale would allow you to design your own course more than the  Bartlett, which is organised by a unit system. Each unit is led by two professors and has a key focus/pedagogy. This could be an interesting way to explore architecture, and really cause you to focus on developing your own thesis and language immediately. However, personally I'd prefer a more broad masters experience to start off with, exploring a plethora of ideas, pedagogies and learning under several professors. I am not interested in being shuttled into one type of focus. 

I mean it depends also if you want to live in London as opposed to New Haven... two extremes... I will absolutely miss London, like its hurting my heart to leave this city haha.. but NYC isnt far from NH or that is what I keep telling myself!

Let me know what you think and I wouldn't mind connecting with you outside the forum as we are both in similiar positions! :) 

Go where you have a better chance (aka visa) to work after.

A big question is where you'd like to work afterwards - the US or the UK? Your student visa will segue into some form of work authorization right after graduation. Working in say, LA, after Bartlett is not as easy as working in London.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CY...

What's an "urgent debacle"?

Hi if you are joining Bartlett

This is the Facebook group: 

https://www.facebook.com/group...

This is the Discord chat:

https://discord.com/invite/P3z...

(These groups are run by current students only, so please don't spam)