German the language is brutal...to listen to, or to learn? Because German is probably one of the easier Romantic languages. And come now, German doesn't have thaaaaat harsh a phonology (Cantonese, it is not).

It is possible to find (somewhat) cheap rent in Boston, with a low of 600 around Somerville, the fringes of Medford, parts of Allston if you want to brave the 66 to H Sq.

I'd personally weigh my decision on which school's philosophies/resources I value more, then figure out if justifying its cons are worth such benefits.

yeah, cost of living in zuerich ain't exactly cheap, either.

where do you want to work - in EU, i'd suggest ETH. in US, harvard. the other great thing about the ETH is proximity to a phenomenal amount of high performance, prefab'd, well-designed projects.

I've been studying at the ETH since the fall of 2007. I am continually astonished by the quality of the professors (both fixed and visiting) that teach here - most all of them are actually practicing architects. While the studies are amazing, the language is very difficult. It has been the single most difficult challenge for me. The department of architecture is not really bilingual, though they may appear to be in some aspects. All in all, I'm really happy with my decision to study at the ETH.

If you are planning to enroll in the 2-year master degree program (which will probably take you longer given extra courses from the bachelor degree that you will have to complete first), I would suggest you have a very firm grasp of German first. My German abilities improved and I have nearly finished the program.

If you are planing to enroll in one of the MAS programs, English will work just fine for you - the course work is typically in English.

I know people that have gone to both ETH and GSD, and have benefited a lot from both experiences. I believe that both schools participate in student exchanges between the two schools.

Hi n8th3n,

thank you very much for your reply and it definitely helps. I am wondering, when you started your study, how well you spoke German? 

I got my Harvard tuition covered by the fellowship, however, in my heart, Im still leaning towards ETH. I hope I can get through the german difficulty because I enrolled in the 2-year program and I also need to do extra courses, including some theory courses. 

thank you.

Best.