<p>I agree that Georgetown is the best choice.</p>
<p>It’s definitely got the history (founded in 1789! Older than some Ivies), and it’s not technically in the South (DC is above the Mason-Dixon line). It’s only 2 hours from Penn, which is about 6 hours from Harvard (by train/car), so distance isn’t really a factor- it just extends the League a little further south, but not into the South. It has the beautiful, neo-gothic architecture like the other Ivies, great academics, and a similar student body (size, diversity, rigor, etc.).</p>
<p>Also, it adds some prestigious programs to the Ivy League that currently are lacking. The School of Foreign Service can’t be beat in terms of International Relations (especially for undergrad), and it also adds another undergraduate school of business and school of nursing (which aren’t common in other Ivies).</p>
<p>Also, I think it’s important that the “new” school be in a different city from the rest. If you added MIT, you’d have 2 Ivies right across the river from eachother! That just wouldn’t work. DC is a big, world-class city with a rich history, and no other Ivy. Georgetown is also undeniably the best school in the area.</p>