Here are my current thoughts:
Brandeis:
pros: near Boston, easy to double major, lots of combined BA/MA programs
cons: got some merit but not enough that’ll make a significant difference, lack of any school spirit from what i’ve seen, less unique majors (Rochester has data science which sounds pretty sick)
Rochester:
pros: cluster system / open curriculum, lots of good STEM opportunities
cons: city of Rochester isn’t as exciting as Boston, got some merit but not a decent amount
Brandeis isn’t close enough to Boston that you can go in casually/regularly. I think you’d going to spend most of your time on campus there, with Boston as a more of a weekend / day trip type of opportunity. It sounds like beyond that, UR is the better fit for you, and it’s still not in the middle of nowhere by any means. I’d pick Rochester here. Congrats!