leamars

I feel very much the same way right now. It seems like the RCA program will be much less hand-holding. You'll have to be VERY independent from what I've gathered. So, if that's how you like to work, than that might be a good choice. Also note that the RCA as a school is not the greatest at helping you figure out any sort of outside resources and opportunities. The classmates and alumni you meet will be your support network for life, but the school itself... not so much. (again, this is just what I've inferred, might not be true) With NYU... well you get the whole NYU backing you up. Lots of industry connections, lots of entrepreneurial resources and opportunities (Leslie E Lab & the NYC Media Lab). In my opinion though, they're a little too focused on what's cool at this moment, rather than critical thinking and shaping the inventions of the future. And hey, it's there in their "title" - the center for the recently possible, not the center of the future. The class size at NYU is a lot larger (I think 140 VS 49 at RCA). I think if you're looking for skills and want a structured curriculum backing you up, NYU is the way to go. The network you'll make at both, I think, is comparable (:, they're probably as many international people (if not more, due to its size) at ITP/NYU than there are at RCA, so I wouldn't really worry about that. If you're looking for... uncertainty, but you know that you have enough self-discipline to follow through and really push and challenge yourself to think and create "outside the box" (I know that sounds so cliche, sorry :D), then you should consider RCA. Those are my thoughts. I, myself, am still undecided... but hey, 10 more days to go

I'm in exactly the same situation. Got into RCA IDE, NYU ITP (and also Brown HCI PhD) and I'm not sure what to do. Found out I'd be getting 32k/year in scholarship from ITP today which really only covers one semester :/ so the cost of either IDE/ITP ends up being roughly the same for me. Why did you apply to IDE? Have you been in touch with any students?

The IDE (Innovation Design Engineering) program by the Royal College of Art & Imperial College.

look at the Network analytics - the network should be something with "MIT" in the name.

Applied, only got one hit from MIT and 8 page views lasting about 2 minutes. Doesn't look too promising, but let's see what happens Got accepted into a pretty cool similar-ish program in the UK though, so I won't be too bummed. Applied to Fluid Interfaces, Personal Robots, and Responsive Environments.