I don’t know if landing a FAANG job/internship is any easier if your school is in the area or not. They all hire widely and are very driven by multiple code tests. If you know someone on the “inside”, they typically can get you directly to the code test stage. I do think that the density of startups in SV make opportunities there more available than OOS schools. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure Princeton and MIT have local startup opportunities, but the density of startups in SV is unmatched. One word of caution though - according to our S, the code tests used by FAANG hiring are difficult, but the tests used by startups are insane (I guess they hire fewer so need to be more careful).
I don’t want to identify the PI or lab that our S is at, but I just wanted to show that research opportunities are there if you want them. I’m sure that’s the case at the other schools on your radar.