zabius

For me, this is the culmination of a very long love affair with insects and their kin. :-)
 
But before that, I was all about dinosaurs (honestly, what little boy isn't?). When I was in kindergarten, the teacher organized a career day, in which we all sat in a circle and discussed what we wanted to be when we grew up. The night before, I made sure that I could pronounce "paleontologist" correctly (yes, I practiced for this), and when it was my turn to share, I proudly proclaimed that that was what I wanted to be. My teacher, however, called me out right in front of everyone else and said, "That's not a real job. You can't get paid to do that." Then she tried to encourage me to be a police officer or doctor or construction worker like everyone else in the class. I was totally crushed... she quite literally snuffed out my dream because I was impressionable enough to believe her. I actually got a little depressed over this... I packed up the dinosaur books that I was learning how to read from, stopped playing with my dinosaur toys, and asked my parents to buy me new non-dinosaur bedsheets. I honestly thought that I'd have to be a cop or fireman even though I didn't like those professions at all. My heart was with the dinosaurs, but I let my teacher convince me that dinosaurs were "just for the movies." 
 
Next year, my quirky first grade teacher decided that hamsters and turtles were boring and went for spiders as her class pets. She collected a few from around her house, put them in cages, and did a little spider biology unit to teach us about them. Most students thought it was icky, but I loved it! I relished my week as spider monitor, during which I had to observe the spiders every afternoon and record their behaviors in the class spider journal. After the school year ended, the teacher even let me keep the surviving spiders for the summer! It was great... in the years to come, I read more and more about spiders and other arthropods, and became more and more hooked. I eventually decided that I wanted to be an entomologist when I grew up so that I could learn more about these animals forever.
 
And that's what I've been working towards ever since! I joined a spider biology lab during my second semester of undergrad, churned out a few interesting projects there, and then proceeded to a master's program where I investigated a different type of web-building insect. Now I'm applying to PhD programs so that I can continue the dream! The end goal is a job in academia, with an equal mix of research (because it's interesting) and teaching (so that I can inspire people in the way that my first grade teacher did).
 
Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if my first grade teacher didn't step in and encourage me to be passionate about something again. Maybe I would have really tried to be a cop or construction worker? Sometimes I also wonder what life would be like if I had decided to get back into dinosaurs. In any case, I'm doing this PhD because I like bugs. But I'd also like to think that I'm getting revenge on that terrible teacher who crushed my childhood dream way back in the early 90s by working hard to follow this second dream. I recently got my dinosaur toys out of the closet too... just because. :-)
 
[bTW, the kindergarten teacher was eventually fired after numerous complaints from parents about her teaching style. She deserved it!]

For me, this is the culmination of a very long love affair with insects and their kin. :-)
 
But before that, I was all about dinosaurs (honestly, what little boy isn't?). When I was in kindergarten, the teacher organized a career day, in which we all sat in a circle and discussed what we wanted to be when we grew up. The night before, I made sure that I could pronounce "paleontologist" correctly (yes, I practiced for this), and when it was my turn to share, I proudly proclaimed that that was what I wanted to be. My teacher, however, called me out right in front of everyone else and said, "That's not a real job. You can't get paid to do that." Then she tried to encourage me to be a police officer or doctor or construction worker like everyone else in the class. I was totally crushed... she quite literally snuffed out my dream because I was impressionable enough to believe her. I actually got a little depressed over this... I packed up the dinosaur books that I was learning how to read from, stopped playing with my dinosaur toys, and asked my parents to buy me new non-dinosaur bedsheets. I honestly thought that I'd have to be a cop or fireman even though I didn't like those professions at all. My heart was with the dinosaurs, but I let my teacher convince me that dinosaurs were "just for the movies." 
 
Next year, my quirky first grade teacher decided that hamsters and turtles were boring and went for spiders as her class pets. She collected a few from around her house, put them in cages, and did a little spider biology unit to teach us about them. Most students thought it was icky, but I loved it! I relished my week as spider monitor, during which I had to observe the spiders every afternoon and record their behaviors in the class spider journal. After the school year ended, the teacher even let me keep the surviving spiders for the summer! It was great... in the years to come, I read more and more about spiders and other arthropods, and became more and more hooked. I eventually decided that I wanted to be an entomologist when I grew up so that I could learn more about these animals forever.
 
And that's what I've been working towards ever since! I joined a spider biology lab during my second semester of undergrad, churned out a few interesting projects there, and then proceeded to a master's program where I investigated a different type of web-building insect. Now I'm applying to PhD programs so that I can continue the dream! The end goal is a job in academia, with an equal mix of research (because it's interesting) and teaching (so that I can inspire people in the way that my first grade teacher did).
 
Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if my first grade teacher didn't step in and encourage me to be passionate about something again. Maybe I would have really tried to be a cop or construction worker? Sometimes I also wonder what life would be like if I had decided to get back into dinosaurs. In any case, I'm doing this PhD because I like bugs. But I'd also like to think that I'm getting revenge on that terrible teacher who crushed my childhood dream way back in the early 90s by working hard to follow this second dream. I recently got my dinosaur toys out of the closet too... just because. :-)
 
[bTW, the kindergarten teacher was eventually fired after numerous complaints from parents about her teaching style. She deserved it!]

I love the cold weather and snow, and I prefer to be in areas like that. I find locations that lack seasons to be incredibly boring. There's nothing worse than walking to class in your new Christmas sweater only to have the temperature jump 30 degrees in the middle of February, and you have to take it off.

I wouldn't worry about the snow. It's only a nuisance when you have to drive somewhere or have to shovel around your home. And cold days are pretty tolerable if you wear a jacket, gloves, and a hat.

When it comes to LORs, the two most important things are how well-known the letter writer is and how well the letter writer knows you. Regarding the first point, letters from people who are very well known in their field will carry a lot of weight. Since your math professors are at a community college, I would guess that they aren't especially well known in the world of applied math research, so this doesn't really come into play here.
 
Regarding the second point... the strongest letters come from people that know you well, who can not only speak to your strengths but also back them up with numerous examples and personal anecdotes. It sounds like you worked very closely with your biology professor, so I would definitely ask him/her for a letter. Even though you're now heading in a very different direction, s/he can still speak to a lot of your strengths as a researcher... e.g., that you're very focused, a hard worker, you think critically, etc. Those are things that the adcoms at your prospective programs will be looking for in their applicants.
 
In contrast, professors who only know you from the classroom might not be able to say as much about you, unless you've taken the time to develop a relationship with them (say by talking to them outside of class or something). You should still get at least one LOR from a math professor who can speak about your knowledge of the field, but I wouldn't choose "just adequate" letters from math professors over more personalized/detailed letters from professors in other fields. Your programs will receive your transcripts and know that you did well in those math courses just by looking at your grades. Would your math professors be able to say anything beyond "World-Refusal was an A student who always turned in his/her assignments on time," etc.? If so, definitely ask them for a letter. If not, perhaps you may want to ask someone else?
 
Since most programs ask for 3 letters, I'd advise 1 letter from your biology mentor, 1 letter from the math professor who already agreed to write you one, and 1 letter from someone who knows you well (regardless of field). 
 
For reference, I majored in a biological science as an undergrad, pursued a master's in biology, and am now applying to a PhD program in biology. Most of my letter writers are (not surprisingly) biology professors. But, as an undergrad I also took 5 Latin classes with the same professor, whom I often talked to before/after class. He knows me very well, both through my writing and via the conversations that we had, and was able to write a very personalized letter for me. I waived my right to see it, but I am told by people who have read it that he speaks very highly of me, and I'd be willing to bet that his letter is among my strongest.

For me, this is the culmination of a very long love affair with insects and their kin. :-)
 
But before that, I was all about dinosaurs (honestly, what little boy isn't?). When I was in kindergarten, the teacher organized a career day, in which we all sat in a circle and discussed what we wanted to be when we grew up. The night before, I made sure that I could pronounce "paleontologist" correctly (yes, I practiced for this), and when it was my turn to share, I proudly proclaimed that that was what I wanted to be. My teacher, however, called me out right in front of everyone else and said, "That's not a real job. You can't get paid to do that." Then she tried to encourage me to be a police officer or doctor or construction worker like everyone else in the class. I was totally crushed... she quite literally snuffed out my dream because I was impressionable enough to believe her. I actually got a little depressed over this... I packed up the dinosaur books that I was learning how to read from, stopped playing with my dinosaur toys, and asked my parents to buy me new non-dinosaur bedsheets. I honestly thought that I'd have to be a cop or fireman even though I didn't like those professions at all. My heart was with the dinosaurs, but I let my teacher convince me that dinosaurs were "just for the movies." 
 
Next year, my quirky first grade teacher decided that hamsters and turtles were boring and went for spiders as her class pets. She collected a few from around her house, put them in cages, and did a little spider biology unit to teach us about them. Most students thought it was icky, but I loved it! I relished my week as spider monitor, during which I had to observe the spiders every afternoon and record their behaviors in the class spider journal. After the school year ended, the teacher even let me keep the surviving spiders for the summer! It was great... in the years to come, I read more and more about spiders and other arthropods, and became more and more hooked. I eventually decided that I wanted to be an entomologist when I grew up so that I could learn more about these animals forever.
 
And that's what I've been working towards ever since! I joined a spider biology lab during my second semester of undergrad, churned out a few interesting projects there, and then proceeded to a master's program where I investigated a different type of web-building insect. Now I'm applying to PhD programs so that I can continue the dream! The end goal is a job in academia, with an equal mix of research (because it's interesting) and teaching (so that I can inspire people in the way that my first grade teacher did).
 
Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if my first grade teacher didn't step in and encourage me to be passionate about something again. Maybe I would have really tried to be a cop or construction worker? Sometimes I also wonder what life would be like if I had decided to get back into dinosaurs. In any case, I'm doing this PhD because I like bugs. But I'd also like to think that I'm getting revenge on that terrible teacher who crushed my childhood dream way back in the early 90s by working hard to follow this second dream. I recently got my dinosaur toys out of the closet too... just because. :-)
 
[bTW, the kindergarten teacher was eventually fired after numerous complaints from parents about her teaching style. She deserved it!]

As a master's student, I taught several genetics labs on my own (i.e. the supervising professor wasn't normally around). I told my students to just call me by my first name, because anything else would be weird. Most complied, but one student kept calling me "Professor [Firstname]." When I explainer to her that I wasn't actually a professor, she just called me "Mr. [Firstname]." I said that "Mr." was still too formal, so she moved on to "Sir." I get that she was trying to be polite, and had probably been raised to address people in this manner... but it was weird for me. Especially since I was raised in a part of the country where the most common way to address a stranger is, "Hey, you!"
 
Eventually, we compromised... I let her call me "Captain [Firstname]." We both thought it was funny. A couple other students even joined in. I love it when a group of students has a nice sense of humor (now if only their work ethic had been just as good...).

As a master's student, I taught several genetics labs on my own (i.e. the supervising professor wasn't normally around). I told my students to just call me by my first name, because anything else would be weird. Most complied, but one student kept calling me "Professor [Firstname]." When I explainer to her that I wasn't actually a professor, she just called me "Mr. [Firstname]." I said that "Mr." was still too formal, so she moved on to "Sir." I get that she was trying to be polite, and had probably been raised to address people in this manner... but it was weird for me. Especially since I was raised in a part of the country where the most common way to address a stranger is, "Hey, you!"
 
Eventually, we compromised... I let her call me "Captain [Firstname]." We both thought it was funny. A couple other students even joined in. I love it when a group of students has a nice sense of humor (now if only their work ethic had been just as good...).

As a master's student, I taught several genetics labs on my own (i.e. the supervising professor wasn't normally around). I told my students to just call me by my first name, because anything else would be weird. Most complied, but one student kept calling me "Professor [Firstname]." When I explainer to her that I wasn't actually a professor, she just called me "Mr. [Firstname]." I said that "Mr." was still too formal, so she moved on to "Sir." I get that she was trying to be polite, and had probably been raised to address people in this manner... but it was weird for me. Especially since I was raised in a part of the country where the most common way to address a stranger is, "Hey, you!"
 
Eventually, we compromised... I let her call me "Captain [Firstname]." We both thought it was funny. A couple other students even joined in. I love it when a group of students has a nice sense of humor (now if only their work ethic had been just as good...).

I think this would be okay.   Before I graduated from undergrad, I had a conversation with one of my professors about the graduate school process in general. He said that our department simply refuses to admit its own undergrad students into the PhD program. The reason he gave was that there simply wasn't very much more that the department could offer you as a graduate student that it didn't offer you as an undergrad-- you would have already taken most of the classes (undergrads could and did take grad-level courses in our department), made use of the department's best resources, and forged all of the professional connections that you could during undergrad. He also argued that it's generally better for students to expose themselves to as many new ideas as possible, and that meant enrolling in programs at other schools and working with a different set of faculty.   All of those are legitimate points, but they only really apply if you're staying within your field. My professor was absolutely right that there wasn't too much more that my undergrad entomology department could have offered me as a PhD student. But (and this is a hypothetical example) if I suddenly decided that I'd rather work on plants, I'd bet that there was a lot that the plant science department at that same school could have offered me.   So, I think you should be fine if you decide to stay at the same school. But, if you have offers elsewhere too, don't immediately count them out. Sometimes a change of scenery can be quite nice! If you stay there for a PhD, you'll be spending ~10 years in one school and town. Could you see yourself doing that? If so, and this really is your top choice, then go for it!   If you do stay and are looking at an eventual career in academia, I would advise doing a postdoc at another institution later on, though. It goes back to the whole idea of exposing yourself to new perspectives.

I did my master's at WCU. I'm probably not the best person to ask because I didn't explore the area much (no car in a rural area = bad idea), but I can say that you probably don't want to live in Cullowhee. There's not much of anything in Cullowhee at all except for student apartments (mostly geared towards undergrads) and the university itself. Even if you found a suitable place to live there, you'd probably be get bored really quickly... I know I did. Sylva may have something that you'd like, but honestly I'd recommend Asheville. You'll have much better access to stores and restaurants and there's a lot more going on there. It's only about an hour away from the WCU campus. Most of the grad students in my program actually lived in Asheville and commuted in for classes and labwork everyday; those that didn't usually went to Asheville on the weekends to hang out because Cullowhee and Sylva are kind of boring. Sure, an hour-long commute isn't the most ideal situation in the world and the cost of gas can add up pretty quickly, but it's definitely a more enjoyable and livable location, at least in my opinion. I don't know much about Waynesville at all, but all of these places are relatively small towns except for Asheville, which is a small city.
 
I know that you didn't get a chance to visit WCU, but have you been to the general region before (I see that you are currently in NC)? It's very sparse and rural until you get to Asheville, which is something to consider. As someone who grew up in a large city and generally prefers urban environments, I found the whole experience of living there to be quite a culture shock and never could bring myself to like it. I also didn't visit beforehand, and ended up going there anyway because it was the only program that accepted me; I'm not sure if I would have attended if I had the chance to visit first. But again, that's just me. If you like rural areas, though, you'd probably love Western Carolina! The mountains definitely are naturally beautiful, and most of the other people in my cohort loved it.

As a master's student, I taught several genetics labs on my own (i.e. the supervising professor wasn't normally around). I told my students to just call me by my first name, because anything else would be weird. Most complied, but one student kept calling me "Professor [Firstname]." When I explainer to her that I wasn't actually a professor, she just called me "Mr. [Firstname]." I said that "Mr." was still too formal, so she moved on to "Sir." I get that she was trying to be polite, and had probably been raised to address people in this manner... but it was weird for me. Especially since I was raised in a part of the country where the most common way to address a stranger is, "Hey, you!"
 
Eventually, we compromised... I let her call me "Captain [Firstname]." We both thought it was funny. A couple other students even joined in. I love it when a group of students has a nice sense of humor (now if only their work ethic had been just as good...).

As a master's student, I taught several genetics labs on my own (i.e. the supervising professor wasn't normally around). I told my students to just call me by my first name, because anything else would be weird. Most complied, but one student kept calling me "Professor [Firstname]." When I explainer to her that I wasn't actually a professor, she just called me "Mr. [Firstname]." I said that "Mr." was still too formal, so she moved on to "Sir." I get that she was trying to be polite, and had probably been raised to address people in this manner... but it was weird for me. Especially since I was raised in a part of the country where the most common way to address a stranger is, "Hey, you!"
 
Eventually, we compromised... I let her call me "Captain [Firstname]." We both thought it was funny. A couple other students even joined in. I love it when a group of students has a nice sense of humor (now if only their work ethic had been just as good...).

As a master's student, I taught several genetics labs on my own (i.e. the supervising professor wasn't normally around). I told my students to just call me by my first name, because anything else would be weird. Most complied, but one student kept calling me "Professor [Firstname]." When I explainer to her that I wasn't actually a professor, she just called me "Mr. [Firstname]." I said that "Mr." was still too formal, so she moved on to "Sir." I get that she was trying to be polite, and had probably been raised to address people in this manner... but it was weird for me. Especially since I was raised in a part of the country where the most common way to address a stranger is, "Hey, you!"
 
Eventually, we compromised... I let her call me "Captain [Firstname]." We both thought it was funny. A couple other students even joined in. I love it when a group of students has a nice sense of humor (now if only their work ethic had been just as good...).

I know this is an old forum and inactive, but if anyone feels "too old" for grad school, I will be starting the doctoral program t Stony Brook this fall just as I turn 73. Admittedly I did not seek financial aid, since younger folks need it more than I, but I found my age not to be a handicap in the application process; I actually think they found my life experience to be an asset.

I love this!! Except for your kindergarten teacher crushing your dreams, that's rotten. When I was in kindergarten we had to write down what we wanted to be when we grew up. I raised my hand and asked my teacher how to spell "entomologist." She looked at me blankly and said, "How do you think you spell entomologist?" She was very encouraging, though. I eventually moved on to other things (including a brief span of digging holes in the yard when I wanted to be a paleontologist), but I wanted to study insects for years and years. I'm in medical geography now, but I've carried this into an interest in vector-borne disease. And I still have the pinned bug collections my dad and I made in Elementary school, hanging in my home office.

I haven't done a spreadsheet, but I do have a chart that I'm filling out. For me, there are two schools at the top of the list that I'm trying decide between. I've visited one already and am going to visit the second this weekend, so my chart isn't complete yet. But these are the categories that I have so far:
Research fit Funding (amount; assistantships vs. fellowships) Cost of living Impressions of my POI (personality compatibility, mentoring style) Impressions of the lab (what the labmates are like, how full it is, will I compete for space and equipment?) Department (size, available resources, is it specialized in my field or a more general department?) The people (impressions of the faculty, current students, and potential future cohort. Do we get along? Is it congenial, or are the various labs very insular?) Courses (required courses, available courses that might be helpful, are there interesting seminars?) Location (public transportation system, food/shopping, political-social environment, size, pet friendliness, housing environment, etc.) Travel (how easy would it be for me to go home for the holidays?) Job Placement I may add other categories to it later, but I think that it's relatively thorough at the moment. Once I fill out the chart, I'm thinking of sending it to a few close friends and asking for their opinions.
 
So, you're not the only one, even though you may be a little more organized. It's definitely helpful to have all of this information there in front of you, especially if you're torn between several enticing offers!

I haven't done a spreadsheet, but I do have a chart that I'm filling out. For me, there are two schools at the top of the list that I'm trying decide between. I've visited one already and am going to visit the second this weekend, so my chart isn't complete yet. But these are the categories that I have so far:
Research fit Funding (amount; assistantships vs. fellowships) Cost of living Impressions of my POI (personality compatibility, mentoring style) Impressions of the lab (what the labmates are like, how full it is, will I compete for space and equipment?) Department (size, available resources, is it specialized in my field or a more general department?) The people (impressions of the faculty, current students, and potential future cohort. Do we get along? Is it congenial, or are the various labs very insular?) Courses (required courses, available courses that might be helpful, are there interesting seminars?) Location (public transportation system, food/shopping, political-social environment, size, pet friendliness, housing environment, etc.) Travel (how easy would it be for me to go home for the holidays?) Job Placement I may add other categories to it later, but I think that it's relatively thorough at the moment. Once I fill out the chart, I'm thinking of sending it to a few close friends and asking for their opinions.
 
So, you're not the only one, even though you may be a little more organized. It's definitely helpful to have all of this information there in front of you, especially if you're torn between several enticing offers!

I think it's more individual-specific than it is program-specific. I should have clarified. The professor that I took multiple classes with knew me well because I interacted with him a lot before/after class. He was able to speak to my work ethic, communication skills, etc. from my performance in class, but he also knew me well enough beyond that that he could spice up the letter with personalized anecdotes, et cetera.  My point was that he didn't quite know very much about my abilities as a researcher (he wasn't even in my field), but he was able to speak to other general strengths of mine that I think did add to my application. I've been told by POIs that I've interviewed with that his letter has been one of my most supportive.
 
The professor that I TAed under also knew me very well, because we worked very closely together. I suppose that it really does depend on the TAship, though. I was planning and giving lectures, designing lab exams, and basically took on a leadership role in the classroom while the professor was really just there to supervise. In that type of situation, the professor can write a very strong letter that can speak to one's leadership qualities, time management skills, communication skills, etc. If, on the other hand, your TAship mostly consisted of grading assignments for the professor, then the resulting letter might not be so strong.
 
I agree that research is the most important thing, and it's what the adcoms really want to hear about. But many of the qualities that make one a good teacher or diligent student are also those make one a good researcher. You also have to ask yourself, would a professor who knows you from your research be able to write a letter that is substantially different from the letter that your main research advisor would write? If the answer is "no," then the two letters are almost redundant and the only reason to choose both of them over strong letters from other people would be if the letter writers themselves are well-known in your field or have connections at the university that you're applying to. 
 
Basically, I still think that it's good to have some variation in your set of LORs. I understand your point completely, though. :-) Research is the most important factor. For me, however, I think the mixed set has really paid off, but this is just my own experience and your results may vary. It really does depend on a lot of things that will be specific to your situation. In my case, my MS committee consistently ignored me throughout the entire program and weren't very involved with my research at all. I'd take the enthusiastic letters from my TA supervisor and Latin professor any day over the likely vague/lukewarm letters that my committee would churn out. But this is probably not the case for a lot of people, and it certainly doesn't sound like the situation that the OP is in.
 
Whatever the case is, though, I think that you should strive to pick letter writers based primarily on how well they know you/how closely you've worked with them, regardless of whether they are all research mentors or a mix of research/teaching/academic mentors. As long as at least one letter speaks to your research strengths, you should be okay. The chair of the department sounds like he really does know you well, so he would definitely be a good choice, Gadzooks.
 
Also, it does depend on your own end goals. If you're more interested in a career that has a substantial teaching component to it, then you definitely want a letter from someone who can speak to your strengths as a teacher. 

I haven't done a spreadsheet, but I do have a chart that I'm filling out. For me, there are two schools at the top of the list that I'm trying decide between. I've visited one already and am going to visit the second this weekend, so my chart isn't complete yet. But these are the categories that I have so far:
Research fit Funding (amount; assistantships vs. fellowships) Cost of living Impressions of my POI (personality compatibility, mentoring style) Impressions of the lab (what the labmates are like, how full it is, will I compete for space and equipment?) Department (size, available resources, is it specialized in my field or a more general department?) The people (impressions of the faculty, current students, and potential future cohort. Do we get along? Is it congenial, or are the various labs very insular?) Courses (required courses, available courses that might be helpful, are there interesting seminars?) Location (public transportation system, food/shopping, political-social environment, size, pet friendliness, housing environment, etc.) Travel (how easy would it be for me to go home for the holidays?) Job Placement I may add other categories to it later, but I think that it's relatively thorough at the moment. Once I fill out the chart, I'm thinking of sending it to a few close friends and asking for their opinions.
 
So, you're not the only one, even though you may be a little more organized. It's definitely helpful to have all of this information there in front of you, especially if you're torn between several enticing offers!

It's not so much that I knew the specifics of my graduate school plans in high school; rather, I knew that I wanted to be a college professor when I "grew up" and that I would need a PhD to do it. I went to a specialized science high school that was big on encouraging students to pursue scientific research. That really captured my interest and I ran with it!
 
A lot of people's plans change between high school and the end of undergrad, but mine didn't. :-)

This kind of statement bothers me. I have seen it on many forums, not just this one.

Why would you ask someone to rush their own process, just to suit your needs? You were wait-listed for a reason. That reason being that you were not good enough to be offered the first time around. So don't take your frustration out on those that were initially accepted. If you've been accepted somewhere, you probably understand the feeling that you would like plenty of time to make your decision. Those that have been accepted deserve to have all of the allotted time to make their decision. You would demand the same, don't act like you wouldn't.

In my opinion, it is extremely selfish and unprofessional to partake in such behavior. Wait your turn; it is a wait-list, after all.

Just my two cents. Carry on.

If the research at School A is only *slightly* less interesting to you, then you should definitely go with A. The funding, other resources, and location will more than make up for a small difference in research fit. It also sounds like a much better school overall, which means that the job placement for its graduates is probably better too.
 
If you were significantly more interested in the research at School B than that at School A, it would be a tougher choice. But you say that the research at A is only slightly less enjoyable. So, it seems like a clear choice to me-- go with A.
 
As an aside, I'd be wary of any school in which many students finish in 7-8 years. It could be different for your field, but in my field most people finish in 5 years. Delayed graduation times could be a symptom of larger problems with the program.

If the research at School A is only *slightly* less interesting to you, then you should definitely go with A. The funding, other resources, and location will more than make up for a small difference in research fit. It also sounds like a much better school overall, which means that the job placement for its graduates is probably better too.
 
If you were significantly more interested in the research at School B than that at School A, it would be a tougher choice. But you say that the research at A is only slightly less enjoyable. So, it seems like a clear choice to me-- go with A.
 
As an aside, I'd be wary of any school in which many students finish in 7-8 years. It could be different for your field, but in my field most people finish in 5 years. Delayed graduation times could be a symptom of larger problems with the program.

I assume that you're looking for a career in academia? If so, the two most important things are to beef up your CV and to network. 
 
For the CV, make sure that you publish as much as you can during your PhD. Don't wait until the end and publish one or two big manuscripts when you're almost done with the degree... be sure to publish throughout the 5 years that you're there, so that you can get your name out there. The higher the impact factor of the journal, the better. I'm in the biological sciences, so I don't know which journals are most "prestigious" in your field, but aim high (and if those journals don't accept your papers, just publish them elsewhere).
 
You can also beef up your CV by getting external funding awards. In my field, getting an NSF grant in your own name is a big deal, and definitely something that would make your CV look attractive. I'm sure that there are analogous awards in the political sciences that you can try for.
 
For networking, make sure to attend as many conferences as you can get funding for, even if you don't have anything to present at the moment. Use the time to introduce yourself to people in your field, who may have connections to other people at higher-ranking universities. Who knows... some of those people could end up being future collaborators of yours if you share common research interests! Of course, presenting your work (either as a talk or as a poster) at these conferences is preferable.
 
If you are going for a career in academia, then there's a good chance that you'll want to/need to do a postdoc between your PhD program and securing a job at a university. You could always try to do your postdoc at an institution with a higher rank? If you have a bunch of publications and conferences under your belt, there's a very decent chance that you can land such a position. You can also use the connections you made during your PhD to land a sweet postdoc.
 
At the end of the day, though, rank isn't everything. What really matters most is the quality of your work. Being at a lower ranking school just means that you may have to work slightly harder to attract attention to your work (that's where the publications and conferences come in), but if you're determined, you can do this. Good luck!

I assume that you're looking for a career in academia? If so, the two most important things are to beef up your CV and to network. 
 
For the CV, make sure that you publish as much as you can during your PhD. Don't wait until the end and publish one or two big manuscripts when you're almost done with the degree... be sure to publish throughout the 5 years that you're there, so that you can get your name out there. The higher the impact factor of the journal, the better. I'm in the biological sciences, so I don't know which journals are most "prestigious" in your field, but aim high (and if those journals don't accept your papers, just publish them elsewhere).
 
You can also beef up your CV by getting external funding awards. In my field, getting an NSF grant in your own name is a big deal, and definitely something that would make your CV look attractive. I'm sure that there are analogous awards in the political sciences that you can try for.
 
For networking, make sure to attend as many conferences as you can get funding for, even if you don't have anything to present at the moment. Use the time to introduce yourself to people in your field, who may have connections to other people at higher-ranking universities. Who knows... some of those people could end up being future collaborators of yours if you share common research interests! Of course, presenting your work (either as a talk or as a poster) at these conferences is preferable.
 
If you are going for a career in academia, then there's a good chance that you'll want to/need to do a postdoc between your PhD program and securing a job at a university. You could always try to do your postdoc at an institution with a higher rank? If you have a bunch of publications and conferences under your belt, there's a very decent chance that you can land such a position. You can also use the connections you made during your PhD to land a sweet postdoc.
 
At the end of the day, though, rank isn't everything. What really matters most is the quality of your work. Being at a lower ranking school just means that you may have to work slightly harder to attract attention to your work (that's where the publications and conferences come in), but if you're determined, you can do this. Good luck!