Deciding between PhD programs, changing universities or sticking with the current one?

[jball2]

Hi all,

 

I'm currently finishing up my MA program at a very large, major research university, and I have been fortunate enough to secure funding thus far, with a guarantee for at least another 2 years, and I'm not at all worried about getting funding after that.  My interests are in international health and control of neglected tropical diseases.  My problem is that I will be switching from my current department to a different one that fits my interests better, but nationally it is not very highly ranked.  I have been fortunate enough to make amazing professional contacts here, and multiple professors in 3 different units on campus have offered to let me get involved in their projects, including co-authoring an NIH grant; adding a research component to a previously only clinical Center (part of the Medical School); and the opportunity to get involved in an international project in a part of the world where I have already done fieldwork.  Only 1 of these 3 projects are directly related to my research interests.

 

Sounds great, right?  Well, I'm not very happy socially here--part of it could be that I'm very young for where I am academically, and all of my peers are 4-6 years older than me, and some even more (which, at my age is a pretty significant difference), but it's also that I'm used to living in a city with culture.  I will most likely have an offer to go back to the city where I did my undergrad, which is a leading university for NTD research.  I was told that I would most likely be offered funding (higher amount than I currently am receiving), and I would probably have the opportunity to immediately involved in current projects which directly relate to both my research interests and my career goals.  I also might have offers from other top programs in the field, one of which would be guaranteed funding for 5 years, and the other is an ivy which may or may not offer me funding, but there is the possibility of a fellowship in the second year.  These other schools are all in big cities where I think I would be much happier from a social perspective.

 

My question to you all, then, is do you think I should give up the professional opportunities I already have here to start over again in whatever city I would go to?  I don't know for sure, but I'm thinking that my time to completion will be 3.5-4.5 years where I am currently, and perhaps a bit longer in the other schools.  Does it really matter what school your degree is from?  I want to work for the government and/or private research sector, most likely not academia.  Any advice would be really welcomed!

[Canis]

You're finishing an MA now, but still have two years of funding? Are you in a PhD program with an en route MA? Or are you in an MA and applying now to PhD programs?

 

Once you're doing a PhD you're not going to have any time to enjoy any 'culture' wherever you're living - so I would focus on the school with the best research fit, the most prestige (yes which school it is does matter), and the most funding.

 

And what field are you switching from and to?

 

I take it you're not actually in NOLA now otherwise you wouldn't be complaining about missing culture?