boring

Hey everyone, I only stumbled onto this board recently - I wish I had found it when I was still applying! Anyhow, I'm struggling to decide between Caltech and UCSB for a Materials Science Ph.D. My research interests are in nanomaterials, electronic materials, and photovoltaics, but I have an open mind (including some computational work, if it could be combined with experimental work as well). I am intrigued by the rigorous academics of the first year and a half at Caltech (for which I believe I am well prepared), but that will also prevent me from getting research done. I've also been able to identify several labs at UCSB in which I am interested. Since the department is so small at Caltech, I've contacted the main lab that I'm interested in, but I was unable to get a guaranteed spot for next year, which worries me. Any suggestions? Best regards, Chris