Fall 2017 PhD in Electrical Engineering: Michigan or UCLA?

[Kao]

Hi All,

I've received offers from Michigan and UCLA to study PhD in electrical engineering for fall 2017. I will be working on semiconductor optoelectronic devices. Both schools are giving me similar amount of financial support and the research focuses of my assigned advisors from each school are very similar.

As I am from a southern Asia country, I really like the weather in LA. Also, it seems to be easier to find internship opportunities in California. However, Michigan usually ranks higher for EE. So the things I'm considering are

1. Which school will prepare me better to join the industry after graduation (assuming I don't plan to join academia)?

2. Which school is stronger and has a better reputation in the area of solid state devices/optoelectronics? This is something that I can't tell from general EE rankings.

3. Weather (well, UCLA obviously won)

Any suggestions?

Thank you in advance.