siliconchins

Congrats on your acceptances!!  I can only tell you things that stand out to me as I would make my decision.
1.  I'm not all that interested in classroom teaching as much as I am into research and mentorship, and I think a TA would distract me too much.  Therefore I would prefer a program that doesn't have a TA requirement.  Stanford would win for me.
2.  Coursework is probably the least important factor for choosing a program since I don't see it as that important.  The only classes I care about is probably a grant writing course and maybe an ethics course.  I would probably go with the one that's either more flexible or doesn't have a lot of coursework I'm required to take.
3.  Stanford seems like the winner here.  The fact you've started making connections with some of them and building such a good rapport is a good sign!
4.  For this, my inclination is that you want to do your graduate work in a lab with a PI who can provide the right amount of guidance you need.  Some of the powerhouse labs with legendary PIs are very busy and maybe aren't conducive to the mentorship you need to succeed as a grad student.  From what it sounds like here, Stanford is the better pick for your graduate studies, and then moving into one of the legendary PI's labs for your post doc (if that's where you see your career going).
5/6.  Eh, Boston/Cambridge would appeal to me more because of how expensive Palo Alto is and I would like to live off campus.  This would almost be a deal breaker for me, but I prioritized cost of living, location, and stipend compensation over some other factors (and why I didn't even consider applying to anywhere out of the midwest).
7.  I think MIT and Stanford are pretty comparable for prestige.  You can't go wrong with either, really.
Other things to consider is if you fit in with the culture of one program vs another.  Did you get along better with the students at one or the other?  The faculty?  Are you more social or non-social, and would one program give you more opportunities for social events?  Also, does one have better student outcomes than others and can you see yourself having a successful career?  MIT and Stanford are both amazing programs/schools, so I can see students being successful at both.

As much as I'd like to tell you to come join me at MIT, it seems from what you're writing that you have already decided that Stanford is a better fit for you. Once you get to a certain point, it doesn't really matter where you go, only that you put out good work. If you feel that the faculty choices, mentoring style, and overall focus of Stanford over MIT, then you should go there. Also keep in mind that people like Bob Weinberg are no longer taking students. 
Since I didn't apply to Stanford and am not too familiar with the program, I can only give my perspective about MIT. From my point of view though, once you get to the level of MIT, Stanford, UCSF, Harvard, etc., you don't really have to worry about prestige. 

Just received unofficial acceptance from Princeton MolBio, which makes me think that the official notice is coming out soon! That's officially a wrap for me on hearing back from programs. Good luck to those still waiting to hear back!

Just received unofficial acceptance from Princeton MolBio, which makes me think that the official notice is coming out soon! That's officially a wrap for me on hearing back from programs. Good luck to those still waiting to hear back!

Just received unofficial acceptance from Princeton MolBio, which makes me think that the official notice is coming out soon! That's officially a wrap for me on hearing back from programs. Good luck to those still waiting to hear back!

Just received unofficial acceptance from Princeton MolBio, which makes me think that the official notice is coming out soon! That's officially a wrap for me on hearing back from programs. Good luck to those still waiting to hear back!

I'm waiting to hear from one grad program, three post-baccalaureate programs, and one department about funding. I'm also trying not to stress out about whether a school would rescind their offer of admission for a slight drop in GPA (I'm talking 0.02-0.03) because they said I have to maintain my cumulative GPA or increase it. 

I actually just got my funding offer today so it should be soon.

You could try the US News rankings or QS rankings if that's the type of stuff you're looking for. Or the Wikipedia list of R1, R2, etc.  

I got one offer so far, but I'm still waiting to hear back from my dream school. Come on. Let me know plz.

I didn't work at the DGP but had a lot of chances to talk to faculty while I've been in Chicago. If you're interested in big picture things, I can suggest people like Marc Mendillo and Dai Horiuchi who are interested in the tumor microenvironment (i.e. interactions of tumor cells with surrounding stromal tissue, which would have some relevance to cancer immunology) as well as labs like the Platanias, Kiyokawa, and Wan lab who are interested in large scale cellular changes in tumorigenesis. 

I think this is highly dependent on what you want to study. Also, there are places like Rockefeller and Cold Spring Harbor which have excellent programs but don't carry the same name recognition in the public due to the fact that they don't have any undergrads. 
Personally, I think that the best resource for finding out the quality of a program is to talk to your advisor or others in the field you want to join, as they will know the type and strength of research that comes out of each institution. 

Very happy to say that I've officially committed to MIT! Congrats to those who are in the same position, and good luck to those still waiting. I'm still waiting on a few fellowship decisions so the season isn't completely over for me, but it is a relief to know where I'll be for the foreseeable future. I hope everyone can experience this feeling!

Accepted to Yale BBS (MCGD)!

Boston University just sent out admissions decisions via email (CM, not PiBS).

Very happy to say that I've officially committed to MIT! Congrats to those who are in the same position, and good luck to those still waiting. I'm still waiting on a few fellowship decisions so the season isn't completely over for me, but it is a relief to know where I'll be for the foreseeable future. I hope everyone can experience this feeling!

That is awesome!!!  Congratulations!

Very happy to say that I've officially committed to MIT! Congrats to those who are in the same position, and good luck to those still waiting. I'm still waiting on a few fellowship decisions so the season isn't completely over for me, but it is a relief to know where I'll be for the foreseeable future. I hope everyone can experience this feeling!

Very happy to say that I've officially committed to MIT! Congrats to those who are in the same position, and good luck to those still waiting. I'm still waiting on a few fellowship decisions so the season isn't completely over for me, but it is a relief to know where I'll be for the foreseeable future. I hope everyone can experience this feeling!

Very happy to say that I've officially committed to MIT! Congrats to those who are in the same position, and good luck to those still waiting. I'm still waiting on a few fellowship decisions so the season isn't completely over for me, but it is a relief to know where I'll be for the foreseeable future. I hope everyone can experience this feeling!

Very happy to say that I've officially committed to MIT! Congrats to those who are in the same position, and good luck to those still waiting. I'm still waiting on a few fellowship decisions so the season isn't completely over for me, but it is a relief to know where I'll be for the foreseeable future. I hope everyone can experience this feeling!

Very happy to say that I've officially committed to MIT! Congrats to those who are in the same position, and good luck to those still waiting. I'm still waiting on a few fellowship decisions so the season isn't completely over for me, but it is a relief to know where I'll be for the foreseeable future. I hope everyone can experience this feeling!

Accepted to Yale BBS (MCGD)!

Accepted to Yale BBS (MCGD)!

I got accepted at Boston College!!!!