I have a decision to make between two schools for a PhD program in a humanities field.
The first school, School A, has an advisor who I've worked with extensively and am confident in his abilities, commitment, etc. We have a great working relationship and he's mentored me through virtually all of my career. He even is recently coming off of a Fulbright Scholar assignment. I was able to secure a fellowship through this school that would give funding through summers as well as fall and spring semesters. The downside is that the school is lesser-known, and thus could be perceived as lesser. They would also presumably have fewer resources due to their "ranking" and size. The city that it's located in isn't that great, but it is affordable.
School B is more well known. It's not Top 10 well known but it's bigger, higher "ranked" than School A, and would likely have more resources. I base this off of my time doing my Masters where I attended a large well known school. I've been assigned two advisors who seem reputable, but I've been down the road with my Masters where the professors at larger schools don't have time for students. Is this different for a PhD student/program? Or was this a more school-specific scenario? School B is in a very popular city (read: expensive) that I would love. They're offered me an assistantship (plus healthcare, which is a pretty substantial savings) but summer funding is not guaranteed. So the funding provided by School B essentially comes out to the same amount as School A, but in a location where the cost of living is more than double.
At either school, on paper, the advisors should provide me with the knowledge and background I need.
Am I off base in thinking that, after the first two years of courses, I could travel while working on my dissertation? If this is the case, School A might actually provide me more opportunities simply due to the fellowship and cost of living. Is this possible?
Does a "fellowship" look that much better on a CV?
I'm looking for any insight, experience, opinions... much appreciated in advance!