I'm in the fortunate position of having been offered a PhD scholarship in the social sciences but am very uncertain about whether to accept it. I'm worried that it's at a university that's not very good and that the department will pull me in a certain direction I don't necessarily want to take. I'm also worried the intellectual environment won't be up to scratch and that there is no support or discussion in certain areas of my interdisciplinary topic. But if I turn it down I might not get another one.

What are the options? Can I accept and then apply for other scholarships at better institutions if it turns out not to work out? Is that not possible, or will it be considered bad form in the academic world, including by the new institution I'd apply to? Advice needed! Thanks.