<p>I disagree about Columbia vs NYU, at least Columbia has a campus, while NYU doesn’t, and the area around C.U. has considerably gentrified. It’s close to the river and a few blocks from central park.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t pick Westwood either out of So Cal, UCSB for example is better. UCLA is in too much of a car-based environment, which kind of goes counter to the concept of the college town.</p>