K G

So I've received funded offers from both the University of Arizona and the University of Colorado for their MAs with emphases in classical archaeology. One of the factors I want to weigh in my decision is if one of the programs or departments is perceived as better or more prestigious if I decide to apply to PhD programs. However, I'm just really in the dark here about how people within Classics perceive different schools or which schools are thought of as better and worse. So my question is does one of these programs have a significant advantage over the other in reputation? I know both of them usually get at least one student into Ivy and Ivy equivalent PhDs each year, but I just am wondering if one of them will look better than the other on a PhD application if I choose to go that route. Thanks! Also, if you have any experience with either program that would help me make my decision and want to share that would be great too.

I'm new to the graduate admissions process (first in my family to consider going) and I was surprised to hear someone say recently that I should contact advisors and talk to them on the phone even for taught MAs in the US if there is a thesis/dissertation component. I knew you had to do this for research degrees like PhDs or MPhils in the UK, but I didn't think it was standard for MAs. Admittedly, I probably should have done more research before hand on this, but here we are. Any thoughts? Some of the programs I'm looking at expect the thesis to come from a seminar paper written within the program and give you a year to choose an advisor. So I surmised from this that I'd have time once in the program to fully confirm that professor was a good fit for me and to work out the details of my research plan. I certainly have advisors in mind at every program, but I just didn't expect to have to get on a call with them yet. Should I contact the professors I'm thinking about? Is this expected or normal in the US? Thanks.