The one time I've gone off on my one for academic reasons I ended up meeting 2 of my best friends, and that school led to my internship at EPA, which led to my current career at EPA. AND I didn't even WANT to go to this school, it was my second choice. So don't be afraid of the move, like you said, what is holding you back. The money sounds good---ok, well, not GOOD, but better than $4,000 for pete's sake!---and you may even meet the man of your dreams, ha ha. No seriously, you should do this just because you like the program and it will be a good change for you. And it's only a year right? So if it's not your idea of heaven at least you'll have a clear end date. This sounds really exciting to me!