Based on posts of (former) cc poster redbeard, the DC area is a very big market for OR, and the pay is very good. I have to believe UVA is clued into that market. Startups & silicon valley & wall street maybe less so, but you probably won’t starve.
Cornell is obviously a good choice for you, based on your current interests, but results are not guaranteed. Whereas debt repayment is. By you, actually.
So I don’t know, these are difficult decisions. Fifteen years from now, if you wind up in some Bay area startup, having paid off your loans from stock options after your firm goes public, you will be thanking your lucky stars that you trusted your instincts.
On the other hand, if you wind up in some govenment agency doing troop deployment studies, alongside graduates of UVA, you might think about what a big idiot you were.