UCLA vs. Duke

[battleidiot]

Although I have yet to visit the majority of schools, I think it will ultimately come down to UCLA vs. Duke. Here's a quick run-down of the pros and cons of each school.

 

UCLA
+Funded Ph.D program in Life Sciences (ACCESS), Close to home, but not too close (NorCal), Research experience is in life science despite having an engineering degree (easier coursework, perhaps?) 
-Not exactly aligned with my research interests but I'm pretty flexible at this point and UCLA has many resources/faculty. Respective program not as highly ranked as Duke's

Duke 
+Dream school, the lab I worked in at my undergrad is from Duke and I've heard good things. Research and faculty is outstanding in my primary area of interest. 
+Strong program in Biomedical Engineering and faculty in Tissue Engineering 
+Close to girlfriend (SC, East Coast)
-Accepted to M.S. Program, at least $80,000 for 1.5 to 2 years,

-new environment, further away from home.

Overview
I contacted professors at Duke about funding opportunities for Master's students and my intention of eventually pursuing a PhD. I was at UCLA this weekend for their recruitment/interview event and I really like the campus and the faculty/grad students that I spoke with. Since UCLA has an immense faculty, I don't think I would have trouble placing into a laboratory that fits my interests. 

 

If I do choose to attend Duke, I would keep the option of obtaining a terminal-degree Master's (non thesis or more engineering oriented). I was wondering what kind of employment opportunities, particularly in

industry, would be available to me and how this compares with PhD's in the same field. 
Let me know what you think. I feel that UCLA is the most practical choice, especially for PhD, but it has been very difficult to convince myself to pass up Duke. 

 

[compiler_guy]

I think you need first to answer some questions for yourself:

 

1. Could you be happy in a university that is not your dream school?

 

2. Do you have a plan in  case it turns up your not that happy at Duke ( no research fit, bad adviser, you don't get along with fellow grad students ... )

 

If your final goal is a PhD, and you were accepted to a great school like UCLA, don't take a detour with the MS degree. It's a waste of time and money. Unless you of course have other reasons to go specifically to Duke.