I’m almost reluctant to go too far down the usual rabbit hole arguments (LACs vs. universities; Ivy vs. non-Ivy, etc.) since I’m already sensing a contradiction in the OP’s challenge: They want an intellectually curious environment as long as its within a few narrow STEM fields which, in her view, rules out most of the top liberal arts colleges (LACs) in the country. IMO, she may be conflating intellectual curiosity with entrepreneurship although I admit that there is often some overlap between the two. So, yeah, it’s no wonder that Stanford is her ideal.
I’m mean, who doesn’t like Stanford?
The good news is that there are LOTS of Stanford-lite places to choose from around the country; many of them have already been mentioned. Are you from Cali? If so, I’m assuming UCB is your safety?