<p>My roommate made the same choice between Chicago and Stanford. He chose Chicago because he liked the vibe there much better than in Palo Alto (which he thought looked like a Taco Bell on steroids). All things considered, though, I think Stanford is the place for you. I can pretty much assure you that visual art will be much bigger and better there (our program is TINY) and that the econ departments will be a wash for undergrad. Pay less, get more, IMHO.</p>