Except it wasn’t a “government agency” they were interning at. It was a science and technology consulting firm
This is a personal, family decision. I would not have paid extra for either son to attend Cornell but other famikies make those kinds of decisions all the time, especially when the family is wealthy . Merit or need based aid can also bring down the cost to no more than instate costs.That does not seem to be the case in this situaion (since large debt is being considered) which makes the decision difficult because the OP really likes the more expensive option.