Looks like you just answered your own question.
Do you prefer stronger CS, better weather, and better tech ties or diverse education and non-CS science fields?
I'd say Stanford is much better for CS than Harvard though, right after MIT.
Do you prefer stronger CS, better weather, and better tech ties or diverse education and non-CS science fields?
I'd say Stanford is much better for CS than Harvard though, right after MIT.
I already have strong research and a few good publications in CS-related fields, so I'm not sure if I want to continue the same vein of research or branch out in college.
That said, in terms of CS, I think Stanford is the clear winner in terms of name brand. Harvard is a big name in a lot of areas; I've never heard CS being one of them (I'm sure it's still a great school though).
Also, as you mention, Stanford is in Silicon Valley, so for entrepreneurship/tech business Stanford is also probably a better pick, in my opinion.
Unless you want to branch out into a field that Harvard is more well-known for than Stanford, I would pick Stanford. I don't think Harvard's a much better school in non-CS areas than Stanford, and Stanford is generally regarded as a better school than Harvard in CS. If you decide that you really want to learn about field X, and Harvard is much better in X than Stanford, then that might be a compelling argument the other way. But if your criteria is "CS + ?", then I'd pick Stanford.
My 2 cents. Both are great schools to go to - there is no wrong decision here.