MA Funding: scholarship vs TAship

[hdh]

Anyone have thoughts on making funding-based decisions? I've been accepted to my top two schools with super generous funding from each and I'm doing all that I can to decide between the two of them. Both have offered me full funding but in very different forms. Thoughts on whether a primarily scholarship based offer is better than a TAship-based offer (aside from the obvious "I'd have to work for my money at one")? Both are primarily professionally-focused, coursework based MA programs.

School 1 offered me ~$18,000 over the two years in straight funding, $5,000 in my second year for a guaranteed TA or RAship
School 2 offered me $5,000 in scholarship for my first year, just over $10,000 per year for both years for a full TAship 

[GradSchoolTruther]

Scholarship (fellowship) is usually better, but it depends on what is included. Does the scholarship cover just tuition? 

Need to compare your total costs and determine what you can pay for. Also, the prestige of the department counts, but not if it includes taking on a lot of debt as social workers are on the lower end of the pay scale for graduate-level degrees.

Edited March 26, 2016 by GradSchoolTruther

[hdh]

3 hours ago, GradSchoolTruther said:

Need to compare your total costs and determine what you can pay for. Also, the prestige of the department counts, but not if it includes taking on a lot of debt as social workers are on the lower end of the pay scale for graduate-level degrees.

Should also mention both schools are in the same city and my cost of living would be similar. School 2 is usually the number 1 ranked program in the country, school 1 the number 3.

Both are international affairs programs, neither is social work. 

[GradSchoolTruther]

Sorry. Must have read something and thought this was about MSW programs. Working as a TA isn't that bad. With the rankings being close, go for the one that offers better funding.