I am in CCNY's B.Arch program, so I can't talk from personal experience with the grad school. But I know the school has been putting most of its best professors into it and the quality of work that I've seen has greatly improved over the last few years. Still a young program.

I will be starting the M.Arch program at CCNY this fall, so while I can't give you advice on what its like to be there, I can tell you about the application process.

They were the only school I applied to which encouraged applicants to have an interview, which I think helped me a lot. I had my interview with the director, and he was interested in how I came to my decision to apply - where I was coming from, what I am interested in. They seem to be interested in the person and who they are, and not just their portfolio and skill set. And based on what I have seen with the other students that are starting the program this fall, the school is very welcoming to people with backgrounds in subjects other than architecture.

I also spoke with other students that are a year ahead of me, and they all had good things to say, specifically that the professors there take a lot of time working with each student, giving them individualized feedback, etc.

Hope that is helpful..