Help me decide between Waterloo and McMaster

[confz]

I have been accepted in MASc in ECE at both McMaster University and the University of Waterloo with full funding. I am confused about where to go. Waterloo is reputed for its Coop program which is of no use in my case as I am going for a thesis based masters and will be working on my research. Is waterloo still a better option for masters compared to McMaster? 

Please help me decide.

[Zelinusa]

Congrats on your offers!

I am quite acquainted with both universities, whether from personal experience or connections. I would say McMaster has an overall slightly better "brand name" and ranking amongst Canadian universities while Waterloo is a lot more known in STEM circles. Either way, I think ranking and reputation are not that important when it comes to research-based degrees, especially when comparing 2 evenly-matched, and well respected universities. I think it all comes down to potential advisor and topic in the end; I think this should constitute 85% of the weight when it comes to making a decision. For example, if you were interested in quantum information for instance, I would advise you to choose Waterloo hands-down (IQC etc.) It really depends on the topic and advisor. 

If all things were equal, which is almost impossible (topic, advisor, funding package, departmental focus on your topic etc.) I might be inclined to choose Waterloo for its STEM reputation.

Just my $0.02. Good luck.