Choosing a college
noaharc: I think you shouldn't be too sure that Yale et al. will have many "smart, like-minded students".  I go to UPenn, studying business and CS and I've found that there are very few people interested in technology startups (they like finance, of course).I also have found that though students are capable of getting good grades, they tend to be less intellectually curious than, for example, the average HN reader.So don't make your decision simply thinking that good reputation = great students.  I think the ancillary benefits of being in Boston easily outweigh any relative drawbacks of going to Tufts.