BTW, I will ultimately pursue a doctoral degree and try to stay in academia, so pursuing a ms degree in europe and then completing a PhD would be longer than in the US.
Asian applicant, currently interested in gravitation, astrophysics and cosmology. I love the view around EPFL, but Stony Brook is okay in comparison (merely regarding to the sight of view). Besides, the Stony Brook program is fully funded, while the EPFL porgram is self funded. I can really use everybody's advise. Thank you a lot in advance.