Katecat

Which of these would you choose, and why? 
 
- Stanford, MS Statistics
- Harvard, AM Statistics
- Berkeley, MA Statistics
- Northwestern Analytics MS (half off tuition)
 
In terms of my background, I have 4+ years of work experience in consulting that has involved things like sampling and regression. I'm looking to get a better/more rigorous background in statistics and get back into the professional world after the masters program. My interests include prediction of consumer behavior, marketing, trading analysis. Basically, anything forward looking that requires some statistical knowledge. Thank you for any of your thoughts.

Alagashblack, advising against going to Berkeley for its Ghetto location is ridiculous. Berkeley has its shady elements, but overall its not that dangerous, and is much more interesting of a place to live than Palo Alto. Choosing between UCB and Stanford based on regional lifestyle comes down to personal preference; do you prefer a little excitement, diversity, close proximity to San Francisco, a vibrant college community, and tons of activities? Choose Berkeley. Want to hide away in a wealthy suburb that only tolerates your college presence and doesn't support a college lifestyle, surround yourself with self-important rich kids, and limited choices? Sure, go to Stanford. 

I don't mean to imply that Stanford is a bad choice; it's a great school. But it definitely isn't better because it's not in a "ghetto area". 

SMH; boogies...

Congratulations for your admissions! I hope my answer is not too late.  Let me provide a bit more information to enhance your decision-making process. 
 
There are two types of master programs: one is a stepping-stone for Ph.D program or academic degree program and the other is a terminal program or professional degree program. Academic degree programs focus on having research experience while professional degree program focus on having project experience since they have two different goals. In terms of the reputation, school brand, campus life, student quality, etc, they are all similar. They are all world-class programs so it's all about where you would like to build your network.
 
If you will get back to the industry after the program (which you stated), I recommend Northwestern's Analytics program since it's one of the best professional program in Analytics / Big Data / Data Science field. If you would like to go to Ph.D program or a research center, I would choose between Stanford and Harvard. (Berkeley is located in a ghetto area so it's relatively unsafe compared to Palo Alto) They are both the best programs geared towards Ph.D Statistics or Applied Statistics. 

I don't want to name it but some recommendations are just ridiculous. It does not make sense at all. I don't really want anyone making a bad decision from false advices. As of September 13, 2014, MS in Analytics program offered by Northwestern's McCormick Engineering School is the most competitive program. If you want to understand and assess the quality of the program, check out the student profiles (either current students or alumni). In one sense, if you get admitted, you will be a part of the group. Which group of people would you like to belong to?
 
Student profile really tells a lot about the program. Who are they? Where did they come from? What academic achievement did they have? (GPA, GMAT, GRE) Where did they intern? What did they learn throughout the program? Where do they work after the program? These information well represents the program. Don't ask questions on this cafe. Go check it out yourself. You will learn a lot more than all those stupid answers from this cafe.
 
 
Northwestern's alumni are way more talented and have more impressive track records than the ones from NCSU.

I am interested in applying to a MS in Analytics or Data Science program for this fall 2015 enrollment.
I will be applying to the following programs.  Could you please rank these according to quality of education and their ability to get me employed with a top tier firm like Google, Facebook, Twitter, etc.?
 
Columbia University, MS in Data Science
NYU, MS in Data Science
Northwestern, MS in Analytics
Georgia Tech, MS in Analytics
Harvard, MS in Computational Math and Engineering
NC State, MS in Analytics
 
If you know of any other great programs that I should consider applying to, please let me know.  
 
Thanks for your help!