MSCS: Wisconsin-Madison vs. UCLA

[NVP12345]

Help! It's down to the wire and I have no idea which would be better.

Here are some factors:

For UCLA: I got to visit UCLA and I really liked that they require a thesis or project and that professors work closely with MS students as well as their PhD's. Also required pass/fail seminar in current topics in CS so I can keep up to date on advancements in industry. Weather is WAY better Could drive up to Silicon Valley for a weekend if necessary to interview. More jobs in LA than Madison, and Google Santa Monica is walking distance from campus.

For Wisconsin: Entirely coursework-based, which is good if I want to have a set plan to graduation. No guaranteed opportunity for thesis/project without finding a professor to work with on my own. Ranked slightly higher than UCLA, and admission is way more selective (~8% vs 25%). Virtually everyone (>90%) accepted attends as opposed to ~50% for UCLA (I'm guessing a lot of those students apply/get accepted to Berkeley, CMU, Stanford etc.), but most students have guaranteed funding which I do not. Possibility to apply for TA- or RA-ship but no guarantees. Closer to home in Connecticut, but farther from many jobs.

Anyone who knows more about these two schools, feel free to enlighten me! I have 3 days to decide!

[psycho_killer]

It sounds like you'd rather to go to UCLA. The difference in ranking probably isn't big enough to really matter. Since you want to do research, the only thing that could affect your decision seems like what area you'e interested in and what the schools' respective strengths are.