i'm at columbia right now and i really love it. i don't really think nyu and ucla can beat it in terms of general academics. your major and your interests are really important though so you should definitely consider that before choosing. for example, if you want to take an undergraduate business cirriculum, nyu has stern and columbia just has an economics major. for music and the arts, i would say that nyu is better because it has a far more vibrant scene. at columbia, you just get an awesome liberal arts education at a top notch research university.
feel free to pm me if you have any specific questions.
feel free to pm me if you have any specific questions.