University of Maryland, College Park v/s Boston University

[MissEverdeen]

Hi,

I am aiming to specialize in robotics. I have an admit from the M. Eng. in Robotics program offered by University of Maryland and an M.S. in Mechanical Engineering with a specialization in Robotics from Boston University. Some information about each:

UMD:
1. It's an M. Eng. program offered by the systems department.
2. It's kind of new, so there isn't much information about the kind of jobs/PhD. acceptances people end up with post the program.
3. It isn't nearly as costly as BU.
4. There's a lot of flexibility in the courses I can chose.
5. Master of Engineering is generally considered to be a level lower than Master of Science (at least research-wise).

BU:
1. It's higher ranked (?)
2. The specialization goes hand in hand with an MS in Mechanical program. I don't know if that's better or worse than having a dedicated Masters in robotics.
3. It's really really expensive. I did not get a scholarship.
4. Boston is The place to be for robotics (Right?)
5. Since I'm an international student, Boston might be a little harder to adjust to, as there's no real campus, and no campus-culture. UMD would be easier to make friends and generally settle into.

Which do I pick??? Any kind of advice would be great. Am I off on any of these points? What would you do? Where are Robotics job opportunities better? What about PhD opportunities?

Okthanksbye!

[blackswan13]

I am not in robotics but I am in UMD BS/MS so you can totally ignore my advice if you wish but...

UMD is better ranked than BU in almost everything in electrical engineering. UMD has the best control systems area which is what a lot my friends in robotics choose to complement their education with as well as aerospace engineering. Proximity to the capital and just being a good school we have huge and I mean HUGE career fairs with a gazillion employers come every fall spring and summer (twice in fall and spring). Also, close ties and proximity with NIST, ARL and NASA makes your advisor pool better as well.