Let me add to my previous answer. There is no ideal. Some pros for MIT (not all deal with CS): 1. great research opportunities for undergrads 2. you'll be su

Let me add to my previous answer. There is no ideal. Some pros for MIT (not all deal with CS): 1. great research opportunities for undergrads 2. you'll be surrounded by lots of smart, technical people (and TONS of CS people as well). 3. great recruiting for big tech companies and large and mid-size startups. 4. Boston/Cambridge is a really great city for college students (there are so many of them). Some cons: 1. The Boston startup scene is much less active compared to SV (which also means less small startup recruiting). 2. You are required to take a lot of classes you might not really find useful or enjoyable (physics, chemistry, etc.) 3. The social scene can be a bit of a mixed bag. There are a lot of different social circles. And the biggest con, I believe: 4. MIT classes will grind you down with work. You will have a lot less time to work on side projects / startup ideas while at MIT.