You'd be nuts to go to GW.
BU and GW are and will likely continue to be similarly ranked. Don't pay attention to year to year changes. They're both currently T25 schools.
But GW is not worth the extra money. Boston has been a top law school for a long time...GW only recently came on the scene. That's something to consider.
This whole if you want to work in DC then go to GW thing is silly. Remember that DC jobs are difficult to get and, most importantly, they go to the best students. This doesn't imply that being at a DC school makes it easier to get. In fact, it is often more difficult because of the sheer number in the job market.
Go where you feel more comfortable. GW is a gunnerish, large law school. BU is neither. You already have a lease in Boston and seem to be quite comfortable in the NE. Go there, seriously.
Uh, what?... the schools are almost identical with each offering a few benefits the other doesn't. Choosing either over the other doesn't strike me as particularly notable and certainly not "nuts".
"Extra money" is said as if it's a lot. As far as I can see on LSAC, tuition differs by less than a grand. When talking about a six-figure cost for education nitpicking a three-figure number seems a little silly.
As for GW recently coming on the scene... not sure how I could interpret that to make sense. Both BU and GW have been around for about 150 years... not really new. And as for top law school status, year to year rankings, etc... the rankings are
here if you want to see them. I don't see much difference b/w the two there either.
On school size, it's no comparison if you look at total students; but it's worth noting that the 1L section sizes are almost identical, and the total size of GW takes into account 100+ part-time students who likely aren't on campus during the day.
I'm not going to try and speak to job opportunities or gunners as I have between 0 and anecdotal evidence there... and to be honest I'm betting that's true for pretty much everyone else on the pre-law boards. DCB's argument strictly to the location, though, is definitely one of the benefits GW offers that BU doesn't. BU in turn offers things that GW doesn't.
I dunno. I always saw the schools pretty much equally. Equal schools + preference for one over the other = no brainer.