<p>As to Columbia, slipper1234 has made posts on this topic in the past, quite accurately I believe based on my other information, perhaps you can look them up.</p>
<p>There's college towns, there's cities and then there's Boston which is in a league of its own.
Boston is rated as one of America's best cities and at the same time its recoignized as America's biggest college town
True it may have some typical urban schools like BU (sucks to BU) but most of the universities located in and around the area have a tradional college campus with a lot of school spirit. At the same you have plenty of internship opportunities, concerts, professional sporting events, etc.....I mean what's not to like?</p>
<p>I've gone to school in Ithaca, Palo Alto, and Berkeley. The schools themselves ranged in size at the time I attended from 11,000 to 29,000 students.</p>
<p>There was never a shortage of things to do on-campus at any of these schools. There was a constant array of sporting events, concerts, lectures, plays, and on-campus movies, at student prices. All of them had decent museums on campus. </p>
<p>The challenge was never finding something to do when I had the time; it was finding the time to take advantage of what was offered. (Finding the time is infinitely more challenging now that I have a wife, children, a demanding job, and a house to maintain, or course.)</p>
<p>I can see how one can get into some issues with the really small LACs in the more isolated locations.A critical mass of people is helpful in ensuring there's enough going on. But my own experience in a small city filled wth 20,000 college students was more positive than subsequently, as a grad student in NYC. Its a matter of feeling, and living, as part of a community, vs. being essentially out there on your own.</p>