Harvard BBS vs. UC Berkeley Biophysics PhD

[eightballriver]

I have visited both places and genuinely do not know what to choose. I want to choose a lab that is Bioengineering and/or Structural Biology focused and I intend on going to industry afterwards. Both places have great connections to biotech/biopharma. I like that UC Berkeley's cohort size is smaller and am worried that Harvard BBS is so big and spans so many buildings across the Longwood area. Harvard stipend is a bit higher (50k) compared to Berkeley's (47k) which is not a dealbreaker since the cost of living is pretty comparable. I am worried that Berkeley will go strike next year during contract re-negotiations. I do not want my degree to be delayed for this type of reason. I have lived on the East Coast so Boston would not be too much of a change. West coast has great weather, although I did feel more unsafe in SF. 

Anyone has faced or is facing this same decision? What factors are you considering? 

Any advice is appreciated!  

[Argybargy]

You won’t go wrong with either and, honestly, your next step following this will be a post-doc. Your postdoc could be virtually anywhere. Also, I wouldn’t worry about a delay due to strikes. You have less control over how long it will take for you to complete your PhD than you probably realize. 

Edited December 1 by Argybargy