I don’t even know what that means that “NY doesn’t compare on that dimension.” Maybe you were sheltered during your college years in NY and came out of your shell when you moved to Boston. Some of us were out there when we were in college. Regardless, going to a few parties diesn’t change the fact that the vast majority of your time is spent in the campus where you are attending school anywhere.
I do know that there’s no comparison when we’re talking about access to cultural institutions, i.e. museums, theater, live music, etc. I know that there’s no comparison when it comes to the experience of multi-culturalism. By comparison to NY, the Boston neighborhoods, ethnic festivals, and ethnic food are boring. In addition, NY is a global hub, international headquarters to business and finance, home to the UN, home to the publishing industry, home to world class hospitals, a magnet for the visual and performing arts community, on and on. Finally NYC has great ocean beaches with easy access by public transportation. Are you saying that none of these things matter to the college experience?
I live in New England and have family, including college students in both Boston and NY. I grew up and went to school in NY, so I know both places. I’ll take NY, hands down. You’ll take Boston. That’s fine. We all like different things. But to claim that Boston is somehow unique for the college experience is just over the top.