bitter

If you are analytically well prepared to take advantage of the vast Heinz curriculum you can fashion a course of study so solid that you will surpass most graduates on sheer technical expertise alone when you are looking for a job. That is powerful (although nothing works like a net-work), yet often rarely mentioned in discussions. You seem to be a step ahead of most by your analysis here and obvious understanding of CMU's strengths in this area. No school in this field can really match Heinz on that score, in my opinion, but, you have to come prepared to waive out of a few core requirements and know what you are doing with the curriculum. Which means working closely with an advisor. There are plenty available. I have a family member just finishing their first year. The biggest disservice you can do yourself is make a decision based on rankings. And when people just vote without providing backup, my gut is telling me that they are just leaning toward the higher ranked school. This isn't law school where you could really argue that relative ranking matters in getting prestige jobs (like the ones you are mentioning). Congratulations on earning admission to two great programs. You can't go wrong with either one! Good Luck!