Why would anyone choose BITS Pilani over IIT?

Here’s an interesting question and answer posted on an internet forum , the answer posted by a user, Gaurav Raj is given below

BITS-Pilani is not only at par with the IIT’s but better in many areas. There are many reasons but i find these valid to mention here:
# No compulsory attendance like in most IITs failing which you get debarred from giving exams. Here, you may not attend a single class but it’s the sincerity in students which makes them work hard and not “Rules and Regulations.”
# The academic flexibility (The option of a dual degree.)You can pursue both science and engineering together here. Students can take admission based on their BITSAT score in any of the campuses into an Msc. degree-Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Economics and Maths. These are students who have an aptitude for science and wish to pursue careers in the research field. There are many combinations one as CS and Maths; or EEE/ENI/Mech and Physics/Economics etc. So at the end of five years you have a B.E. as well as an Msc. degree.
# Most importantly You get admission here purely on merit basis.Even when the nation was boiling with the implementation of reservation policy on caste lines by Arjun Singh, BITS had taken a bold stand and opposed it stating that merit can not be compromised under any circumstances.
To sum up The IIT brand as it stands today is much greater than any engineering college but if you want to develop management,leadership qualities in yourself, BITS is the best place in INDIA.
P.S. Right from the day a student enters the campus all decisions are taken by him or her. Students get to make their own time table, they get to choose the teachers they want to study under , the time when they wish to study, the courses(electives) they wish to choose.

An another answer posted by a user Amod Sardesai reads,

Some people take a map along on a hike. Some just follow the trail. Still some are actually lost and have to pretend to be hiking with the others.
If you are the “map guy”, you would probably research your institute/engg. program well, and some of the points mentioned in this thread would be applicable to you.
However, the paradox is that you will do well in any institute, IIT/BITS or otherwise, since you have that elusive clarity of vision – a headstart.
But most 17 year old engineering aspirants dont have a clear vision. For them, IIT is not a goal in itself. It is a statement of intent. Now, IITJEE is a highly challenging test. Competition is fierce, and the scores are densely distributed over a sensitive range. Allotments received may not be to the liking of some of the qualified candidates. The problem is compounded when candidates are not sure what they like. This prompts a set of qualified candidates to opt for other quality institutions like BITS. So what I am trying to highlight here is that the choice is not so much a conscious one, as it is systemic. In fact, it is not much of a choice at all, it is the outcome of a process.
Note that if you meant to ask ‘why should anyone choose BITS Pilani over IIT?’, then the other answers are more relevant to your purpose, since they contain hindsight information.