Pratt Institute

Pratt. NYC is the place to be. Seriously, don't go to any other city. More on reddit.com

Speaking as both a long time designer (graduated with a graphic design degree in 1992, slowly moved over to being a UX designer, now a manager of graphic and UX designers) and someone with a kid in her freshman year at college: Both are terrific schools. What you get out of either of them will 100% depend on what you put into them. And when you graduate, people might notice the school, but we're going to hire you based on the strength of your portfolio. This is a case where I would absolutely follow the vibes. Which one do you enjoy more? Which one makes you feel more creative? Once you're there, find the teachers you learn the most from. Take advantage of every opportunity the school and the city gives you. Learn as much as you can. And maybe most important: Choosing one doesn't mean you're stuck there for all of college. If it doesn't work out for you, you can move to another school. You're not choosing your destiny, you're choosing where you start. And the most annoying avuncular and managerial thing I can say is: Where you end up depends on you. More on reddit.com

Generally speaking I would not recommend spending a ton of money on an architecture degree. It really doesn't pay off in the end. Now that being said Pratt is a great design school with a great reputation. If you want to stay in New York City Pratt will provide a number of great opportunities in the design capital of the US. Most major firms have offices in NYC, it really is the center of the world in terms of design, so in that respect there's not a better place to be than in the New York area. But beyond that as a professional, unless a huge chunk of that tuition is being paid for you're going to rack up a humongous bill, the equivalent of a mortgage, that will take you forever to pay off and the profession of architecture doesn't really pay enough to justify spending that amount of money. Also consider that New York is extremely expensive to live. Yes, you won't need a car but you'll have other expenses like a MetroCard/OMNY which is $127 a month. You'll be somewhere in the $1800/month range with roommates in that part of Brooklyn so figure an additional $25,000 in rent (not including heat, gas, electricity, etc). Plus trying to find a place in that part of Brooklyn is basically like the Hunger Games if you're not living on campus (and around Pratt the neighborhood goes south fairly quickly once you cross over into BedStuy which is still in process of gentrifying. As it is there's projects right across the street from the campus). There's a reason why Pratt and Parsons have reputations for being schools for rich kids. I think New York is a great environment to learn to become an architect. But the big factor is stomaching the costs. And I always think young people should spend a little bit of time in NYC because it will put some hair on your chest. Rats, bed bugs, freezing cold, crazy people on the subway -- New York will grow you up in a hurry. But its also a lot of fun as well. What was the other school you got into? More on reddit.com

My opinion. No. Pratt is not worth it. It's very expensive. It may be a great school and you could love it. But at the end of the day, the tuition is not worth the next 10 years in debt. I've heard their program is way too conceptual. It could hurt you getting a job. Also, if you don't already know, architects make little money, have a lot of responsibility/liability and also work 24/7. Hope I'm not too much of a downer. More on reddit.com