I've been going back and forth between the two school psych programs for weeks and it's driving me up a wall. I think I've been trying to overjustify both options whenever I feel like I'm even slightly leaning more towards one. Tried the coin flip trick and everything, and I'm still indecisive. Here are the schools:
School A: Close to where I did undergrad, in a city I like. Urban environment with a relatively low cost of living, and I get to stay with my SO. Program has a solid reputation with great training and resources, and lets me graduate in 4 years, which is nice. Requires a research-oriented doctoral project, not a dissertation. Warm faculty and friendly students, although it's lacking in diversity (I'm a minority). I like the program for the faculty and students, and I feel like this will help me tremendously. At the same time, I can't help but feel that this program looks somewhat spartan compared to School B. It's a solid program, but nothing's particularly extraordinary in my opinion.
School B: Close to my parents' house, which isn't necessarily a pro for me since I like my independence. Suburban environment in an area I'm less than enthusiastic about with a higher cost of living, strangely enough. Program has a much more established reputation with rigorous training, but usually takes 5 years. Requires a practice-focused dissertation that would be publishable. Friendly and diverse faculty and students, but faculty are known to be extremely busy so I worry about how hard it'll be to build relationships with them. I think I'm still amazed that I got accepted to this program at all, and I'm thinking it would be dumb of me to turn it down. At the same time, I'm intimidated by the requirements and expectations of the program, and worried that it's more than what I find necessary. Also, a caveat is that I never got to visit the school in person, though I visited the campus in high school and hated it.
Any input would be greatly appreciated!