Context:
I'm currently graduating MS from a very high rank R1 university in US. However no professor has the funding to support a new PhD student in the field I'm looking for. I applied to multiple universities this cycle for Fall 2026, however, got rejected by all but one. That one university in US has offered me a fully funded PhD position for 5 years. It is #1 in US (and in the world too) but overall university ranking is far too less (~300-400 R2 university). The field and potential advisors and their projects are all of interest to me, but from future pov, I'm doubtful. Ultimately I'd like to get into industry R&D (so definitely not academia). Do you think overall university ranking matters here? Should I go forward with this or take a gap year (work or others) and then apply again next year? But the thing is it's a fully funded position amidst the current horrible funding situation. And the job market ain't that great too, for me to find a job immediately (I mean I could try)
Thoughts please! Esp. from current PhD students, postdocs or any expert who could provide their valuable insights!!