<p>So I'm obviously getting down to the deadline and I can't make up my mind. I've pretty much narrowed it to these four, but was hoping I could get some other points of view on them. The three American schools will cost roughly the same (ignoring the additional costs of NYC) where as McGill would cost quite a bit less (about $20k per year), and maybe I could complete it in three years. However, I can afford wherever I go somehow. I would really prefer an urban campus (Tufts doesn't make the cut for that, but there's still a lot I like about it). They're all a bit far from home (except for Tufts which is about a forty minute drive at the most). I plan on majoring in cognitive science with a focus on the computer science region of it (and maybe tacking on HCI at CMU or human factors at Tufts) but I have a really broad range of interests and creative inclinations (one of the reasons I applied to NYU Gallatin). Thus, a school with strong English, film, engineering, and urbanism studies that I could dabble in would be great. Any input would be fantastic so I can hurry up and make this decision!</p>
<p>For cognitive science with a CS focus, CMU is by far the best of the 4 schools you listed. The area around CMU is urban enough, though not quite as urban as McGill’s or NYU’s surroundings. Generally speaking, Pittsburgh also compares unfavorably IMHO to Montreal, New York City or Boston, but CMU’s academic edge more than compensates for that shortcoming.</p>
<p>I suppose my concerns with CMU are less with how the academics compare (realistically they’re all great schools) but how it compares holistically.</p>