Cornell ME PhD vs Georgia Tech BioE PhD

[shim12]

I suppose having to decide between two schools is a great problem to have, but I would really love any suggestions or advice to help make this decision.

In terms of the big factors, both schools are pretty equal. I have full funding at both schools. Cornell pays ~$5,000 more, but I think both stipends are livable. Both schools have a few professors whose research interest me and both schools are highly ranked. I believe GT BioE is #2 whereas Cornell ME is top 10. Both schools also have qual pass rates of ~95%. Given these factors, I don't think I can go wrong with either school.

In terms of differences, the weather in Atlanta and Ithaca are polar opposites. I prefer the warmth of Atlanta, but I did my undergrad in the northeast so I can survive Ithaca's winters. I felt like Cornell's ME department was much more close-knit and friendly, but I'm not sure how big of a concern that is. On the other hand, I appreciate Atlanta's massive airport, which will make visiting my family in California much easier. I am also considering academia and from what I've seen, GT seems to put more people into industry. Finally, this is kind of trivial, but I received a fellowship from GT, so I could stick that on my CV.

Overall, I have no idea how I'm going to make this decision by April 15th... Help!

What do you guys think of GT's BioE program or Cornell's ME program? Which school would you choose?

[Biohazardia]

I am a senior undergraduate in Cornell's BME - so take my advice with a grain of salt. Both schools are really great places and I agree, there's no really wrong choice! In terms of transportation to California, I also have family in Cali and I can tell you that plane trips usually require 1-2 layovers in order to get to LAX. I would expect the same for SF. Also in terms of Cornell - Ithaca is absolutely gorgeous and a wonderful place to go hiking and do nature-y activities (seriously there are some places here that look like Middle Earth straight out of LotR), but there isn't much to do at all in the way of city, so if you really enjoy the city life, Ithaca might not be good for you as the closet large city is Syracuse (1 hr away by car). All other major cities are over 3 hours away. Another consideration with transport is that living at Cornell as a graduate student is pretty uncomfortable without a car from what I can tell, though most grad students walk or take the bus to lab since there isn't much parking on campus. I would not worry too much about the academia versus industry thing since your PI should personally be working with you and helping you to achieve whichever side of the spectrum you prefer (industry or academia). 

There's also to consider that a ME degree is much more marketable to employers than a BioE degree. (However, that won't matter if you are looking to do academia). 
It's a hard decision but I hope I helped shed some light on things Cornell-related at least. Good luck!