Master (tier) or RA (dreamschool)?

[T Qi]

I am a student in Spanish, and I am applying to psychology graduate programs. Now I have received an MS offer from NYU and an RA position from UCSD.

NYU is definitely a great school in psychology, and can give me more background in psychology, as now I am not a psych-major student. But as my boyfriend is in SD, UCSD is really my first choice, and the lab that offers me RA position is also a great fit to my interest.

I am also afraid that if I reject the RA offer, I may not be able to be admitted to UCSD in the future. And if I reject the NYU offer, I may not even get a master offer next year.

Can anyone give me some advice? Thanks much!

[T Qi]

And I also think that if I work as an RA there during the admission period, maybe I can have a much higher chance of getting into UCSD.