I agree it’s tough to make judgments and comparisons about the competitive nature of colleges. The only people who would be able to compare one institution to another are those who have attended both.
I went to Kellogg, know a number of students who have recently or currently attend NU, and still live in the general area. My sense is that NU can be a stressful and competitive environment, and the quarter system leads to a fast paced life. There are many intelligent, hard working, achievement oriented students at NU…being in that type of environment works for some, not for others. I will also page @homerdog for their thoughts.