One thing is that NU pours money in to academics, research, fin aid, and programs for students (such as grants for students so that they may pursue unpaid internships that may be helpful for their career).
I visited another elite private with a similar-sized endowment and it looked and felt like a freakin’ country club. Everything was brand-new, the quads were immaculately manicured, the student union was luxurious, and they’re putting up a bunch of new dorms. Also, people rave about the food there. However, neither their students or professors win as many prestigious awards as NU students and faculty do, nor do as many of their students get in to elite professional schools as NU grads do, they don’t promise to meet full need for all, and I don’t hear of any such grant program for their students looking to do unpaid internships.
So it comes down to priorities. Are you looking to spend 4 years at a country club, or do you want to go to a school that puts money in to things that make a university world-class and accessible to all rather than landscaping and remodeling?