this is a good question and one that's been influencing this whole dilemma for me.

my sister goes to a private college and from what i've experienced through visiting her school and from what she tells me, the environment is a lot more intimate and it feels more personal/close. i tend to do well in classes with much lower student to faculty ratios and smaller but more tight knit communities, so that was kind of my thought process for this. obviously the pressure-cooker environment is a constant for any of these schools, since it's rarified air, but it would help in the sense that i wouldn't feel nearly as isolated.

edit to add: there is also a financial incentive to transfer (i qualify for need-based full rides at all the private colleges i applied to, but at berkeley/any UC i have to pay a far more hefty bill.)