[ahomescu1]

I can't speak for digitalsurgeon, but I can think of a few (without having ever studied at either of those universities):

1) The professors. Imagine taking classes and interacting with Nobel prize winners, or other famous people in your field (let's say, taking a class with Knuth at Stanford).

2) The networking/social aspects. Imagine being college roommates with "the next Mark Zuckerberg", whoever that may be.

3) More cynically, the pedigree. This one isn't strictly required, but it helps enormously if you want to get into academia, and it can also help you with an industry career or start a startup (it can make things easier).

[Squarel]

1) This happens at other universities, including ones in Europe. Imagine walking the same corridors as Newton walked, or being taught by professors who currently work at CERN. 2) Most top tier universities would have this, imagine being college roommates with the next Stephen Hawking or Prime Minister. 3) The pedigree depends on what you are studying, and other nations have their own prestigious universities