I did not even consider MIT. It was an “unknown” university from my perspective. I chose to stay on the west coast and I always wanted to attend Stanford. Even when I was a kid, I work a red and white hat which represented Stanford.
Of interest was that I did not consider attending any other university. But I was a junior transfer after two years at Pasadena City College. Pasadena CC had an excellent reputation as it ws a “holding place” for students interested in getting into Cal Tech. In fact,when at Pasadena CC, I was asked when I was going to apply to Cal Tech. I had no interest in Cal Tech.