<p>I wouldn’t sweat it. I think Northwestern has the cold weather and Virginia has more partying. I don’t like either of those too much! But both are excellent schools and for me, I’d consider what part of the country I wanted to end up in. Quite true that both have national reputations but Virginia is more east-coast and NU more midwest, in terms of alumni networks, name recognition in the big cities, etc etc. </p>
<p>If money isn’t a factor, I’d probably go Northwestern because I’m a bit of a ratings wh0re. Northwestern isn’t ranked (considerably) higher by accident. Virginia is limited by being a state school. Even though only 7% of its budget is provided by the Commonwealth, the General Assembly still sets policy and the most damaging policies it sets require 2/3 of admitted students to be in-state and a certain proportion to be admitted from community colleges. </p>
<p>The pros and cons of these policies may be debated forever but the net effect diminishes the quality of the student body. And yes, I’m a graduate, counseling you to go elsewhere! If you were comparing with Berkeley or Michigan for undergraduate, I’d say Virginia in a minute. But Northwestern seems stronger to me.</p>