NYU ITP vs RCA IED

[peachicecream]

I've been accepted to the Royal College of Art's IED program and NYU ITP. I'm at a little bit of a toss up between the two — the programs are similar in many ways and different in others. Any insight, advice, or suggestions about the schools and programs would be much appreciated! 

Edited March 13, 2018 by peachicecream

[graduateprincess]

Hi! Fellow ITP applicant here.  So far you're the first person on any forum I've scanned who has received a decision from ITP!  Did they email you? So eager to hear back as well.

Do you have specific questions about ITP? I have a few friends that attended.

[peachicecream]

I was emailed, but I'm sure they do it in waves, I'm crossing my fingers for you! 

I'm curious about how ITP would set me up both for job prospects and potential PhD prospects. Is the program supportive? During and post graduation? What were some of the major frustrations your friends had with the program? Did it outweigh the pros? Did they have to fight for their classes due to class size? I have all the questions lol. 

[leamars]

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?

[peachicecream]

I spoke to as many students as I could! I feel like the main difference is in the way the programs ask their questions. I find that RCA is focuses on asking “Why?” and NYU is focuses on asking “How?”. I’m not sure which approach would be best to throw myself into. 

 

Is it better to be in a program that throws you into excessive research into a specific topic? Or is it better to be in a program that forces you to explore various technical strategies? 

 

Is it better to do your masters abroad and create an international network? Or to setup your network of people within your home country? 

 

I’m not sure how to approach this decision, I feel that the more research I do, the more split I am. Perhaps someone else has new insight into how to think this through?

[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

[tech123]

I'm in the same situation! The community at ITP I know is incredible, I'm not sure about IDE. I'm getting the sense that IDE is a tad more geared to industrial design, whereas ITP is a bigger mix of all kinds of things.

I did hear that RCA is going through a weird change lately though and it's going a bit more downhill in terms of reputation ...anyone hear this too? I'm not sure why though.