<p>I am extremely familiar with Columbia. The cornfield radius is more like 100 miles, not 50. Columbia may have more going on than you think, but it is still a college town, not an urban area. It is two hours by car to an urban area.</p>
<p>On the other hand, there are many hiking and biking trails and lots of beautiful conservation areas nearby, so IF those activities are important for you, that could be considered a plus.</p>
<p>I feel like I should comment on your reservation about the quarter system. You mention that it may not be for you because you are a procrastinator. Whoa, whoa, whoa. You cannot make it as a journalism student or as a journalist if you do not cure the procrastination habit. I started college life as a journalism major; working fast and on the spot is the hallmark of the field, and late stories are dead stories. Procrastination = stress.</p>
<p>I think NU is the obvious choice for you, except that you want to see different places. Perhaps you can concentrate on arranging summer internships in coastal cities?</p>
<p>My many friends on the faculty at Mizzou will hate me for encouraging a top student to go somewhere else. There are a lot of very strong students at Mizzou, many (not all) of them in the J-school. But you are correct that there are also a lot of less serious students. I’m not sure that is a fatal problem, because it means you will stand out and be first in line for various opportunities. However, if you think it will bother you a lot, then it probably will.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>