<p>I love both schools, but they offer completely different experiences. No one experience is any more “real” than the other.</p>
<p>If you want a more “traditional” (meaning college/small town) experience, go to Stanford. If you enjoy the amenities of a city (and New York is not just any city) and will use them to supplement your education, go to Columbia. I don’t think the city distracts from the campus life at all. It adds to it. New York will very much be a part of your experience if you go to Columbia, and most students embrace that.</p>