If Columbia and Northwestern are affordable, I would choose between them.
And then, it largely comes down to:
- Very urban NYC vs. suburban Evanston. Confined vs. relatively more spread-out campus.
- Columbia’s core vs. less stringent/prescribed distribution requirements at Northwestern
- Northwestern’s J School vs. no such thing at Columbia (though their Engish/Lit majors should suffice)
- Chicago pizza vs. New York pizza (try chicago’s pub-style thin – few outside of Chicago know about it.)