Environmental Engineering PhD Caltech vs. Duke

[srsammy25]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to decide between Caltech and Duke for an Environmental Engineering PhD. Visited the places and liked them both. Good environment as well as lab facilities. Great advisors in the field I love, and grad students at both places said great things about their PI. Duke has a larger Engineering School overall, but my PI of interest at Caltech actually has a pretty big group of ~20 people in total (grad students + postdocs + research scientists...) comparing to < 10 at Duke. Not sure whether this is important though. I feel like there are more things to do in California, but Durham has a very low cost of living which is a big pro. The schools offer the same amount for stipend. It seems like an impossible decision!

Anyone has experience with the two? Thanks for any advice in advance!!!