Hi everyone. First time poster here. I would appreciate any advice or insights into my decision on a doctoral program. I have been accepted to Florida State's Religions of Western Antiquity program, and I am waitlisted in Baylor's program in New Testament. Although my main area of interest is New Testament and Christian origins, the program at FSU is more appealing to me because of its emphasis on the Jewish background of the NT (Josephus, DSS, etc.). I already have an MA in Biblical Studies with an emphasis in NT, and I would like to strengthen my knowledge of the Jewish and Greco-Roman backgrounds of the NT. Also, I've published one peer-reviewed article on Josephus, and I'm interested in expanding this research, so I'm interested in studying with David Levenson.
From what I've gathered on Baylor's website, each of the seminars they offer focuses on a different book or corpus of the NT, but none focuses specifically on second Temple Judaism or Greco-Roman history/religion. (If there are any Baylor students here, please let me know if this is wrong.)
On the other hand, Baylor is obviously a much more prestigious program, has a more well-known faculty, and offers a bigger stipend ($6,000 more per year than FSU). Several of my former professors and scholar friends have told me I'd be crazy not to choose Baylor if they offer me admission. If anyone has any thoughts on this decision, I'd be interested in reading them, especially from people with experience in either of these programs. Thanks!