I want to pursue a PhD, so I have applied to a number of prestigious US, UK and Swiss schools (I did my MA in the UK)
Result: accepted at Yale. ETH Zurich also showed strong interest during the interview and on the 15th will let me know whether I'm in or not. The very same day I am supposed to respond to Yale.
Now the dilemma: 5-7 years in New Haven/ NYC or 3-4 years in Switzerland? Got one week to figure this out.
I prefer Yale's curriculum - they have terrific courses and Profs - but New Haven is a gritty, unsafe place to spend the 2 coursework years in. There is a huge undergrad population on campus and not many grads of my age, so I don't expect to make many friends there, or even to do things that you do in cities like going out etc, you can't even walk home at night, I've been told when I visited, which I find absurd. NYC is also 2h away - so after 2 years of New Haven there would be 3-5 years of heavy commuting on a weekly basis when I move to NYC - which I would definitely do if I go there.
On the other hand Zurich is a small, clean and safe city, and, as a European guy, it is closer to my friends and family and well connected with EU amenities. Profs there are good, but not as Yale's, and many events are in German, which I don't understand a word of (but which I can learn, good with languages).
Job-wise, I expect my opportunities to be roughly the same after I graduate from these two schools. Yale probably is better for US jobs, but I'm not keen on teaching in the midwest or in some small suburb (no offense). Ultimately, as a Prof I would like to move between the UK, the US (east and west coasts only), and Switzerland.
Thoughts?