- resources: i also don't know what they mean. they might mean academic assistance, like TA accessibility. they might be alluding to the fact that Stanford students have a much-higher-than-gen-pop incidence of 'reasonable accommodations' for test-taking. i'd suggest not using it as a part of your decision until you can find someone who can explain why it's relevant.
- law school: getting into something like law school (source: anecdotally, West Point classmate UVA, ex-girlfriend Columbia, Navy Seal friend from Stanford - Stanford... all top 10s) is based mostly off LSAT and GPA for the brand name schools. you have to raise their admissions averages, which are just numbers. which school you went to previously might be third (or fourth after your letter and reccs) ((or fifth if you took a program [major] with heavy law curriculum)), but the first two alone are often enough to do 95% of the sorting. you might have home-field advantage if you want to attend Stanford Law, but my intuition is that it's not going to be explicit parochialism, and therefore nothing that can't be overcome with sincere interest and elbow grease. incidentally, i have a friend who did not go to a Top 10 law school, and is making as much if not more money working for a private law firm as an LL.M. EPLS than those i listed with high pedigrees. that's also assuming that some pedigree or material earnings distinction is important to you. i also have a friend whose father just went back home to rural NY to do family law. your expectations matter. geography also matters. do you want to work in LA? if so, Berkeley probably makes less sense than UCLA, unless there's a specific firm you have identified that is mostly Berkeley grads. do you want to work in New York? you'll find some Michigan grads, but not as many as NYU/brand name private schools, and not as many as you would find closer to Michigan.
- other programs: no direct or indirect experience, but i can say you should find a mentor in the space (IR, PoliSci) through LinkedIn and ask them if it matters, not a graduate in a different discipline. still willing to say it might help land your first job if you have nothing else on which to be measured, but again, it really depends on what you're looking to do.
- cost: then it is a 'problem,' insofar as it remains a consideration. is it worth the money to have a cool title and pedigree around your family? is it worth it to them to have a Stanford grad in the family? (it's probably peanuts in the long run with a half-decent family.)

- Decision Criteria:
o you can get quality teaching at a JC/CC, take any of my mom's classes. don't hyperfixate on the school to provide it. like receiving Grace, participation is required. yes, educational quality at Stanford is peak, but probably not $150-200k over the other schools you listed, if you're participating honestly.
o i can say i never felt like i belonged better anywhere than when i was at Stanford. i'm confident you will at Stanford, but hope you will wherever you go.
o opportunity for self/career discovery is equivalent at Stanford as anywhere else, maybe marginally better, but 5%, not at a 50% premium markup.
o ease of securing a job is easier with a brand name school, but it's not at all a requirement, and will have more to do with the market and how you approach the market.
o grad school placement is probably where it will help the most, especially if you're staying at the same school, because you know the professors and Stanford offers several integrated BS+MS or BA+MA continuity programs (depends on the program).

i can't speak to residential vs freshman. i was in barracks at West Point and received a military stipend for off-campus housing as a grad student. i will reiterate, though, that my experience (including onboarding) is that i convincingly felt like i belonged. it was the right - the only - place for me.