Perhaps it's an east coast thing but I was just back for Thanksgiving and of the many Ivy League superstars I grew up with, almost all are working on Wall St, in management consulting shops, or they have become lawyers. I'm not saying that Ivy League == best and brightest, but it is probably a good indicator of ambition.

These three industries all have one thing in common, they pay well and they only require a Liberal Arts degree. My sister graduated from Harvard a few years back and I'd say that every single one of her friends I've met works in one of these three industries. Their conversations of others I haven't met indicate that these three professions are the norm for all their classmates.

Perhaps Stanford is different and perhaps CS majors are as well. But the major trend I see is that the most ambitious people from the most prestigious Universities are going to the places that pay them the most.