Cornell MEng vs UIUC MCS

[zero33]

Hi all,

 

I just got admitted to Cornell's MEng for CS program and UIUC's MCS program. They are both currently unfunded.

 

UIUC is 3 semesters at 32K/year, and Cornell is 9 months at 42K total. If anyone is familiar with UIUC, do they know if that 3rd semester can be done in the summer? Or if it has to be a Fall/Spring semester? If so, it seems like UIUC would be 32K + 16K (for another half year/semester). 

 

I plan on graduating and going straight into industry, I have no plan of doing research. Does anyone know if Cornell or UIUC has a advantage over each other in terms of recruiting for industry? I know they're both ranked highly, but I'm not sure if that's helpful for working in industry or continuing towards a PhD. 

 

My initial thinking is to lean towards Cornell, since 9 months is ridiculously fast to obtain a Masters degree and Cornell's name seems to carry more weight. However, I am slightly concerned that 9 months is not enough time to take all the courses I want and be able to take full advantage of networking. Seems like a insanely hectic program.

 

FYI, I studied EE as an undergrad, so my main purpose for getting a Masters in CS is to gain the knowledge I never learned as an undergrad to help me pursue other options in a CS career.

 

Any other insight on either program would be greatly appreciated!