And as for Finale...
I do use Finale, but I also use PrintMusic - which is Finale's "younger brother/sister" - and it's also $300 cheaper. Since the file formats are compatible between all of the various Finale products, I usually will start a file in PrintMusic, and then pretty it up in Finale. I find the PrintMusic interface a bit more user-friendly and intuitive since it does not include all those bells and whistles in Finale which I don't use.
*And if you buy Finale at the Juilliard Bookstore, you can buy it at the Educational Price.