Like so many others in this subforum, I need some help/perspective in deciding where to go. I've been *really* lucky, and I've narrowed my acceptances down to the two I'd most like to attend. Fundamentally, the choice comes down to a decision concerning the immediate direction of my training (I'm in biosciences and need to decide between working with humans or working with an animal model, though I intend to do both in the long run), because I can always focus on the other during a postdoc. I'm also trying to weigh cost of living, etc., as the fit with both schools is otherwise phenomenal.
School A: big Midwestern state school which has a very good reputation in behavioral animal research in my field. There are a wealth of faculty with similar interests, and one guy in particular who would be absolutely spectacular with whom to work (he actually does both animal and human stuff, so it would make the point above moot). The school is more limited on the human side, but good opportunities are still available (and the research coming from the few human labs is high quality). Seems to be a highly collaborative environment--the faculty are excited about their research and seem pretty engaged with the student body. The program is moderately structured with a side emphasis on professional development (grantwriting, etc--very appealing), but there is enough flexibility so as to allow students the ability to create the opportunities they want. Good fit with the social culture. The cost of living is extremely low, but the weather is terrible.
School B: smaller, elite private school with the wow-factor associated with the name (can't believe I got in, truthfully!). Incredible reputation for the field overall, and there are several faculty in my subfield with very quality research (and a good match to my interests). Much better fit with the human researchers--there are only 2 people working on the animal side of things--but the opportunities with the human labs are pretty diverse and interdisciplinary. Also seems to be a highly collaborative environment, but I've heard from people who have teched there that it really depends on the lab/PI (and that egos can sometimes get in the way). The program has as little structure as possible, which makes it super flexible but also more difficult to access supplementary opportunities (again, like grantwriting). Again, good fit with the social culture (although it may be more...intense (and perhaps competitive)...than School A). The cost of living is insanely high, but the climate is amazing.
So what do I do? Considering a good research fit with both schools (albeit in different areas of analysis) and good vibes from both, do I go with School A, which has a slightly-less-prestigious name/reputation (but would challenge me by forcing me out of my human-research comfort zone), or School B, which has name power and is super strong in human research? All thoughts and comments welcome.