Summary: Applied and accepted to both of my top choice Chemistry Ph.D. programs (!!). Accepted to school A in January- love the environment and faculty, also my undergrad institution (though my research was in a different department). Accepted to school B two weeks ago- googly eyed over a particular advisor and project but not crazy about the school in general. Same city.
I'm not one for last minute decisions, but I'm having a very hard time with this one.
School A:
3 top advisor picks- all their research is a fairly significant departure from my background in natural products, but interesting and all seem like a good personal fit (supportive, experienced, established with stable funding)
first semester- 2-3 rotations
top 35 program
excellent resources and professional development opportunities
smaller, intimate, passionate community
fully funded- 26K stipend
safe and familiar campus- able to live closer/more affordably (suburban)
fewer TA hours (1 year only) and more classes required
fewer course options
School B:
1 top advisor pick- marine natural products, also a good personal fit. (basically my main reason for applying to this program)
first semester- 1-2 rotations
top 25 program
excellent resources but so-so professional development (heavy focus on industry only)
larger department and grad community- not sure about how I'll fit in, seems more competitive
fully funded- 25K stipend + 5.5K four year fellowship
will have to commute, more expensive/harder to find housing, not as safe of a campus overall (downtown)
more TA hours (1 year only) and fewer classes required
more courses offered
So it pretty much boils down to a familiar place with new projects and multiple advisor options vs a new place and one advisor with a more familiar project.
Any tips? How would you decide?