As a Northeastern grad, I’ll just back up that @SoCalEsq hit the nail on the head that the ranking difference doesn’t really matter here and this essentially all comes down to fit. You’ve got California’s coastal life and the “traditional” college experience versus the northeast city school with the nontraditional model. Both will offer solid educations and in the end, similar post-grad lives. Again I know not helpful, but I guess my conclusion is this: let her trust her gut and know there’s no “wrong” choice here. It’s just two different paths that can lead to equal happiness in various ways.