I think you’ll have a strong sense of where you belong after you visit the campuses. My neighbor was trying to decide between Columbia and Princeton. She ruled out Columbia upon touring. She was weirded out by the bars on the windows and felt there was no sense of community because students were distracted by New York City and didn’t bond as strongly to their peers.
If the environment isn’t a huge factor, look into the percentage of premeds who get into medical school from MIT and Columbia. I’m guessing they both have excellent acceptance rates, but maybe one is higher than the other.