Boston U. PhD Vs Chicago MAPSS?

[dhekiya]

Hey~

 

I had an acceptance letter from U of C at their MAPSS (got rejected from their PhD in Poli Sci) and after I've emailed BU to find out if they had a decision made abt my application, I received quite a positive letter from the DGS telling me that they liked my file but were not sure if I were a good fit because the professor I wrote I wanted to work with was going to retire. 

 

So now I'm torn... on the one hand, Chicago is more prestigious than BU I guess. But on the other hand, assuming BU still intends on accepting me if I tell them I'm willing to work with another faculty member, then I have at least the next 5 yrs secured, while with the MAPSS I'll have to go through hell once again to figure out what to do next in my life after 1 yr. 

 

Another thing is funding. I'm not sure if BU would be willing to offer me full funding... I got half tuition funding at MAPSS... 

 

Any advice? Any insight will be greatly appreciated. Thx!