I've been accepted to a UC in a rural area, and am currently on the waitlist at UC Berkeley (they are having me call everyday). While UC Merced is offerring me a decent stipend and the advisor I would have is certainly not a bad fit, I'm not sure I want to attend Merced if that is the only place I am offered admission (I know, everything should be decided by tomorrow!). The project I'd be working on is related to the research I'm doing now/did as an undergrad, but it doesn't particularly excite me.
Another variable to the equation is that my significant other and I are definitely on the track to getting married, but there are no opportunities for her to pursue her Master's in Nursing anywhere nearby, or find an alternative job worth having in Merced. That leaves her to live 2 hours away in the Bay Area. I'm not sure I want to sacrifice 5+ years of my life/relationship for a PhD I'm not that excited in.
I also was not particularly excited to have to search for a post-doc that could be anywhere in the country/world and have to work there 1-3+ years just to get a chance to receive a job in academia. With my current work experience I could likely land a decent paying job in the near future.
My current boss/advisor (I work at an undergraduate institution as a lab manager) seems to be pushing me towards pursuing my PhD. I'll have had (hopefully) 2 co-authored papers and a first author paper published by the time I've entered grad school, which certainly helps his case. I also received an Honorable Mention for the 2015 NSF GRFP.
I just think I didn't plan out my current graduate school applications accordingly, and applied to places that wouldn't really fit in with the other aspects of my life, and didn't offer the amazing research project/school that would make me okay with sacrificing those other aspects.
I was hoping someone else might be able to offer their 2 cents about this? I only have my advisor and other professors who want me to pursue a PhD to talk to, or family/friends that don't really understand the situation. If not, at least I've been able to get my thoughts down in writing!
Thanks!