Celestialbag

Both options are MS programs, hoping they will lead to a PhD. Life at the top program will be very difficult (I'd eat canned beans every night) and I will most likely have to take out loans to afford basic life (which I won't be able to pay off if I do transition into a PhD program). However, I think I'll learn a lot in the program and the brand is super valuable. I was told that no one else in my cohort was made this offer so it makes it even harder to turn down. I was nominated for a BIG scholarship that would offset the cost of living expenses but I won't find out until July. Life at the state school program would be manageable. I was awarded a RA fellowship in a lab that does really cool work that would be more than enough to live off of. However, the brand isn't as good as the top program (this program is essentially unranked). I also wonder about the rigor of the coursework (but does that matter for just a MS program?). The professors are super responsive and send their students off to top PhD programs and jobs. I feel like I could be happy there but maybe would regret not going to the top program. Thanks for reading about my non-problems, any advice is appreciated!