The fall in rankings was due to Penn not having an architecture chair for almost 5 years. They just appointed a great one last year and the school is in a great place right now. Classes are restructured, the studios are renovated and a lot of fresh new (but experienced) professors are coming in. Really good vibe going on.

Hows the money from both schools?

Oh! That really sounds good to me!

Pratt has offered a $ 10000 scholarship .Pratt is a 1 year 3 sem course whereas Upenn program is now restructured as 1.5 year 3 sem program (previously 1 yr 3 sem)

So the attendance cost for 1 year is equivalent, except Upenn 3rd sem is payable as an addition. Now the plus point i see is that in Upenn there are a lot of graduate assistant ships usually available for on campus work which can sustain finances to some extent.

Upenn has offered a $ 2000 school, which is barely enough to make a difference. I am exploring other financial aid options.

As I'd be an international student, I am looking at deciding on it soon for other relevant processes to come into play.

I wonder whats the accommodation scenario like? Anybody enrolled in there?

@Sam Josh

I am an incoming M.arch I student. I attended the open house and they mentioned that the assistantships do not provide tuition waivers. They're usually a one or two grand stipend. 

As far as housing I found a studio apartment on the upenn shuttle line for 600 a month which is a really good price in my opinion for a studio. 

Hi there, I am in penndesign right now, finishin my first year of a 2 year AP M.Arch program. I think that PennDesign can be really amazing for some and not so good for others. Why do I say this? I think that the school teaches you some  incredible knowledge, way of thinking and tools that can take you to the next level if you do have some architectural background. If you come from an undergrad not related to architecture and have no previous work experience I personally think that it could be a little overwhelming jumping stratight into some very advanced tools and bypassing some of the elementals of architecture. The elective courses at the school are unbelievable and if I could I would take all of them. Good luck!

Hey thanks Ricardo and juventus7 !!

So I have finalized on Upenn M.Arch II Post professional and am excited about it !

Do you know anybody enrolled for Fall 2014 for the PPD program?

@ juventus7

I have a bachelors in Arch degree so learning advanced tools will be enriching! I have definitely heard about the flexibility in terms on course selection!

I was trying to get my way through PennInTouch to check out courses but its a little difficult to understand at the start.

Do you know where can I find a list of courses I can choose from available ones for M.Arch II students?? And are there any limitations of intake? I understand I need to register for courses as soon as possible, but I do not know how to locate the specific pool of courses programwise.

Kindly help. Thanks!