Applications, Love, Columbia, Stanford...

If you really think it will work out, and its not just some puppylove thing, I say Columbia. Going far away, you'd be taking a chance... and as much as Hollywood or chain letters would have you believe it, something like this only happens if you put work into it, not destiny or something else. And truth is, if you're a 10 hour door-to-door $800 trip away, you're not giving it much of a chance.

I only applied to schools in cities where my wife could relocate with her career. I would never even consider going to school for 2 years and living in a different city than her. Not everyone will agree with this, but I think the difference between the caliber of schools being discussed is not that high. If those were my two options, I wouldn't even give Stanford serious thought.

My wife has been part of my search from day one. I'm only applying to schools that we'll both be happy about. Trying to decide after the fact isn't the way to do it IMO.

If your girlfriend is not willing to relocate away from the northeast, well then your decision is made... This is a discussion you need to have with her though.

To me, its obvious you would prefer going to Stanford(why else would you be asking)... How does she feel knowing that? Is she willing to consider moving with you, or is she open to a long distance relationship while you're in school?

There is no reason to ask us our opinions... it is such a subjective topic...

Good luck.

Thanks for all of your thoughts so far. Obviously I won't be making such a huge decision based on a forum poll, but I did want opinions and perspectives so I could be sure that I was considering everything that I should be considering.

@asimov: I would prefer to settle down on the east coast (family and friends are here), but my area of interest (technology, venture) all lie on the west coast. I was happy to see the tech scene get bigger in NYC, though with half of Manhattan under water it has taken quite a bit of a hit.

@asimov: She can't move from the east coast - has to take care of ailing parents.

@anonymous2012 and highwyre237: I completely agree with you, I'm trying to decide whether or not to even apply to schools outside of my range. As for "prefer" or not, the only reason I might prefer Stanford is because I find that everyone so breathlessly talks about H/S/W. I had made another post more focused around that mystique simply because I couldn't figure it out myself. I too think the difference between H/S/W and Columbia, MIT, etc. isn't that big, but many others seem to disagree...

You want to stay on the East Coast, so places like Columbia, Wharton, MIT, etc would obviously be good picks for you in that respect. However, on some level, this decision could be made for you. Unless you applied to Columbia ED, none of these schools' results have come out yet. If you apply everywhere and only get into Stanford (obviously this is hypothetical), then you would go to Stanford if you still wanted your MBA.

I don't mean to take away anything from your SO's situation and you wanting to be on the East Coast to be there for her and your future together; I'm just saying that at some level this is out of your control. Come December/January and you have acceptances from both of these places in your hands, then you have something to consider (and at that point, any $$ they give you would be in play as well).

Choose after you actually get accepted to both. Case closed.