<p>Stanford’s peer schools are HYPMC. All the rest are not in Stanford’s league.</p>
<p>Of those Stanford peer schools, only Caltech is in California. California has an almost perfect weather almost all year round. But Caltech is cutthroat and Stanford is laid back, so you’d have a much better social life at Stanford than at Caltech. Furthermore, Stanford is multi-university offering diverse programs. Caltech is a specialized school, thus Stanford has a more diverse student body, and perhaps, should have a better social scene than Caltech. Stanford has also a great connection with Silicon Valley.</p>