Calm down there Clicky McSubmit Pants.

What's your major? What's your degree? What are you trying to get out of your education and do you have a plan on what you would like to use your degree towards? All of these are valid in narrowing your choices down and choosing between two schools. You may have the #1 ranked school versus the #17 ranked school, but the #17 rank school will give you a better education in lets say environmental design or urban design. As far as pure rankings, here's what the 2006 Design Intelligence had to say about those two schools and their ranking amongst the rest in the nation(you will ofcourse get many critical opinions bout these one this site):

Undergrad Interior Design:
Syracuse was ranked 9th

Undergrad Architecture:
Syrcause was ranked 10th

Graduate Architecture:
UIUC was ranked 10th (Tied)
Syrcacuse was ranked 12th

Undergrad Industrial Design:
UIUC was ranked 8th
Syracuse was ranked 9th

The list of rankings that I had access to only wen to the top 10 or so, so UIUC may have been 11th in a couple of them, or they just don't offer a program in that area. UC took down the full top 10 list, but you can still find it here for free at this forum or go to DI to order their complete list of rankings.

Or better yet talk to employers in their regions, research the school, ask for pamphlets, inquire on what they think their strengths AND weaknesses are in certain areas, and make your decision based on what you think will fit you best. They are both EXCELLENT schools if you are worried about getting laughed at when you tell fellow architects where you attended.

As the title states, I am aiming for a m.arch i. my goal is hopefully to gain equal knowledge in practice and theory. ultimately gaining the best experience while considering the reputation of the school as far as amongst firms.

You may want to consider what city you would like to work in after school. You'll probably get your first job through alumni connections or the school's career services. Syracuse would be a better choice if you want to work in NYC, Boston, or DC. UIUC would be better for Chicago and other Midwestern cities.

Whoops, totally missed the title, my bad.

Well I'm still curious as to your undergrad major (I'd assume a B.S. in Architecture) and where you received it.

I chose University of Cincinnati for my M.Arch not so much on it's rankings, but rather on it's emphasis of it's practical knowledge. I decided that my B.S. Arch from the University of Minnesota, while being a very high quality degree, was heavy on the theory portion, and therefor felt that UC would be a good balance. I would suggest looking at your situation in a similar manner.

As far as reputation amongst firms, I would suggest that Syracuse is a more knowledgable school than UIUC amongst all professians over the entire country. Localized within the profession of Architecture, I would say they are about equal. As far as region goes, if you are concerned about a firm hiring you based on the quality of your school (which some do look at) I would say if you plan on working in the Midwest, UIUC might be a better pick where as Syracuse might be a better one for the East Coast. I've noticed this since I've lived in both regions. But certainly it isn't an ultimate factor.

Hopefully you'll get more personal experience concerning both schools amongst some people on here, but right now archinect is basically down...If you don't get a response, repost on this thread in a couple days when things speed up.

Santa Monica, thanks for the "other Midwestern cities", they're called Milwaukee, Kansas City, Indianapolis, Madison, and Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Oh, and St. Louis...can't forget them...

I think its interesting that both schools are not part of the blog project here, is there a reason?

You may want to consider what city you would like to work in after school. You'll probably get your first job through alumni connections or the school's career services. Syracuse would be a better choice if you want to work in NYC, Boston, or DC. UIUC would be better for Chicago, Detroit, Indianapolis, Columbus, Milwaukee, Cleveland, Kansas City, Omaha, Minneapolis, Wichita, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Toledo, St. Paul, and Madison.

UIUC has a lot (a lot) of networking strength on the West Coast, too, in particular Los Angeles and San Francisco.

A good friend and colleague of mine from undergrad (at UIUC) started his M.Arch at Syracuse, decided the program was not what it seemed, or what he wanted, and he applied and switched back to UIUC.

Sure, UIUC grads tend to work in the Midwest, but this is usually because the Chicago and St. Louis firms snatch up graduates, and students are enticed by solid jobs that are close to family and friends.  The reality is that the UIUC architectural alumni network extends nation-wide, and is particularly strong not only in the Midwest, but in many places on the West Coast.

In terms of program focus, I can't speak for Syracuse but UIUC's program is rigorous and all-encompassing.  The faculty that teaches building technology are some of the best in the industry (the legacy is prevails in SOM, P+W, and others, especially in Chicago).  Design is a mixed bag, there is usually a studio topic that appeals to every student's individual objectives (everything from high-theory to teaching-practice).  There is no thesis but rather 4 consecutive studios framed as mini-theses (a reaction to firm feedback stating that UIUC grads did not have enough portfolio material).  Personally I like this setup.  The seminar topics are great and really if you are interested in a particular architectural subject (be it networked digital infrastructure, sensory design, integrative building design, digital fabrication, etc., refugee housing, building skin) you can probably find an avenue to explore it.

Hope this helps a bit! (You've probably already made your decision, though)

Ive been looking at UIUC and thats really great that you say they have connections across the country, would probably be interested in going to west or east coast after grad school, but really have no idea yet