<p>I got admits from University of Southern California and Northwestern University for graduate MS in Computer Science program. Which university should I choose? Also what are the job prospects after MS at northwestern University?</p>
<p>I’m not sure about how strong the departments are but assuming they’re both ranked well, I think it comes down to whether you prefer LA or Chicago. Where would you rather live and possibly spend your life at?</p>
<p>i think USC has a better computer science program but both are great schools so any choice won’t hurt you</p>
<p>You should make the decision based on where you plan on living or working after graduation. Each will be best in their relative regional area for aiding you to find employment.</p>
<p>northwestern is the superior school by most measures (lay and academic)</p>
<p>Northwestern!!!</p>
<p>For computer science, USC is much better than Northwestern. </p>
<p>For a MS student, USC is a much better choice to find a nice job due to its location. </p>
<p>Overall, USC should be the way to go, unless you really want to live in Chicago area or you want to get a non-computer job.</p>
<p>It may be true that Northwestern might have a higher general prestige than USC. However, you must consider location, financial aid, and job availability (this IS grad school after all). Personally, I believe USC wins this.</p>
<p>I don’t know about your financial aid status, but assuming cost is equal, I would consider location. I personally find not that much of a difference in Chicago and LA. But LA is more diverse. I feel more comfortable in such an accepting place. I’m a California person, so the LA weather and surroundings suit me well.
Also, since you’re interested in computer science, LA is very close to computer science haven–the Bay Area. You can easily transfer and find jobs there. USC sends many grads to the Norcal area. </p>
<p>Just my two cents.</p>
<p>Rankings can be subjective and controversial. The USNews rankings for Computer Science graduate programs for the two universities mentioned are:</p>
<pre><code> USC Graduate Computer Science-Ranked #20
Northwestern Computer Science-Ranked #35
</code></pre>
<p>As the previous poster mentioned do consider climate preference, job placement, finances and research opportunities.</p>
<p>Have you toured each campus?</p>