BME Masters - Johns Hopkins or Northeastern?

[collin_colony]

So... I am pursuing a Masters at either Johns Hopkins or Northeastern (decision deadline is fast-approaching). There are several factors to consider here, the major one being FINANCES. Hopkins (can either be a 1-year or 2-year program) is roughly $80k a year... meanwhile, Northeastern (a two-year program) I received a $40k scholarship for and since the annual cost is probably roughly $75k I would only pay $35k the first year and then I would be in a co-op the second year, so I would pay half the annual cost and have a salary. Overall, Northeastern is probably a decent bit cheaper; I am also going into graduate school with $35k in loans.

For the programs, it looks like Johns Hopkins has exactly what I want. I am looking to pursue the integrated area of comp sci/data science and BME, and hopkins literally has a BME data science program. Northeastern does not; they have medical imaging/devices, biomechanics, and cell and tissue engineering. None of those are necessarily what I am exactly looking for, but I would still get a decent degree.

There is also the difficulty factor. From what I am aware, Hopkins is MUCH more difficult and I am not certain I would be able to handle that (University of Rochester sorta wiped me). Maybe I could but it seems like a big challenge - also I have friends who live in Boston, not Baltimore.

Following my Masters I cannot honestly say what I want to do (pursue a PhD? MD? Industry? Research? idk) but I would like to keep my options open.

And now I am supposed to make a decision, but I honestly have no idea. What do you guys think?

[heistotron]

With the looming recession it'll be good to cut down on costs. The ballpark cost difference between your two programs looks to be about $70k (Northeastern total) v.s. $160k (JHU total). Northeastern BME is no Johns Hopkins, but it's still a very well-respected program with strong industrial placement & connections. And if you later decide on pursuing further grad school through a PhD/MD, then you'll be glad you have $90k less in loans than you'd have had otherwise. 

I don't know what to comment in terms of coursework difficulty, but I would think that doing well at Northeastern in terms of coursework and even research perhaps will set you up very well for getting into top PhD programs in BME or solid jobs in industry.