<p>Arguing over the selectivity of NU is not productive and shouldn’t even be a factor in deciding where to go. I’m several years out of college, and here’s my impression: rank is stupid. If you can go to Standford or Harvard or Yale or MIT etc etc, go there, because you will gain the connections those schools provide and a brag-worthy degree, and those things can do good things for you. But frankly, outside of that, you are not going to be more employable or rich or amazing because you went to UMiami vs Lehigh vs GW vs Northeastern vs USC and so on. NO one cares if your college was very selective vs most selective. It’s a worthless measure and it’s petty. </p>
<p>What will matter is the people you meet, what you study, what you do outside your studies, your grades, your ambition, your work ethic, your interests, your intellect. Those are the things that make you employable. I find that my coworkers come from a variety of schools-- from Williams to UC-Boulder to Stanford. What we have in common/why we wound up in the same place is not in the selectivity of our college but how we took advantage of our education.</p>
<p>Also: your debt load. Less debt = more money to spend on travel and moving to a cool city and paying rent and putting money in your 401k blah blah blah. Go for less debt.</p>
<p>OP, you don’t seem to be in love with NU. Go where you think you will be happy, and go where you believe you will find opportunities best suited to your interests.</p>