NIU, CSULB, and CUNY (and maybe Stanford) for Philosophy MA

[phil_lang]

Had a low GPA in undergrad ten years ago and going to a philosophy MA program to clean my slate for philosophy PhD applications. Money is a consideration, but not enough to eliminate any of these choices and I'd rather skip the finances discussion and get straight to advice concerning which program would help me 1) enjoy the experience and 2) get placed in a PhD program which is highly ranked. 

Are the objections to CUNY and Stanford that MA students won't get attention (won't get help with their writing samples and won't get very good rec letters) overblown? How do you account for the fact that CUNY MA students often get highly placed? And are there any general differences between a CSULB which places well when they place but they only do 2-4 phd applications of their 20-25 student class sizes and a NIU which takes 15 a year and places 15 a year? Any thoughts welcome. Open ended. I'm languishing in indecision and running up against deadlines. Thanks!