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I want to work in DC doing policy-related stuff after graduation. (I got into Gtown too, but I keep hearing they don't give out much money, so I'm assuming it's not going to be a smart option.)

Originally, because I know I want to come back to the East Coast to work, and because I want to do government-related stuff where "prestige" can carry more weight, I wasn't really entertaining Michigan as an option. I wasn't even going to visit, because I don't have any money for a plane ticket.

Am I crazy for not considering Mich? With cost of living differences, I might be talking like $80,000 extra to go to NYU or CLS. And I keep hearing how collegial and happy Michigan students are--something that's important to me. I have no desire to live long-term in NYC. On the other hand... I do think prestige can be helpful in DC and the political world, and I'd like to leave the door open for academia--so that makes me lean towards CLS.

I know this is just another version of the age-old "$$ or best-ranked school?" question.. but I always like reading through these threads when the situations are similar to mine, so hopefully others might find comments helpful too.

I think since D.C. is basically the toughest market to crack, I wouldn't take lightly the value of Columbia/NYU. Michigan is an excellent choice, but I would probably go for Columbia (they have the best D.C. placement of the 3).

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