<p>It’s funny you have these two schools as your comparison because they were actually the same final choices for me as well so I have put plenty of thought between the two.</p>
<p>First off I would ask if you are in state to either school. They are similar enough in profile that if you were, then the significantly cheaper in state tuition might be a solid choice.</p>
<p>Academically you are right that the two schools are pretty equivalent. I’m sure their ‘rankings’ in specific engineering majors differ some, but both universities are huge research schools with great faculty. An education at either would be what you make of it.</p>
<p>Ultimately what it came down to for me was ‘fit.’ I visited both schools and used my feelings on the visit to come to a final decision. When I came to Madison it just felt right. As ambiguous and cheesy as that sounds it was just kind of a gut instinct and it worked out well for me. Weather wise Madison has a true four seasons where Seattle doesn’t have a classic winter per se- just lots of rain. They are both huge schools and subsequently have plenty of student orgs to go around. (I wouldn’t use one specific org to be a tie breaker in a big decision like this. Kind of minor in the grand scheme of things in my opinion) Wisconsin is right in the middle of the city of Madison (albeit a relatively small city) where as Washington is isolated on the outskirts of Seattle a bit. All these factors are a bit random, but help to come to a final decision based on your own preferences.</p>
<p>Job wise upon graduation you might also consider where you want to live upon graduation. Obviously it’s a long way off and difficult to think about, but both schools will offer more opportunities from employers within their respective regions.</p>
<p>Ultimately both schools are fantastic and I really don’t think you could go wrong either way. It’s just a matter of prioritizing what you are looking for academically, socially, and culturally.</p>
<p>If you have any further questions about either of the schools you can send me a message if you like. Good luck!</p>