<p>The majority of students from most colleges with 6 year graduation rates over 50% are successful. I’ve known tons of very successful students from Binghamton. Every school has positives and negatives. Sometimes the positives (from the student standpoint) necessitates the negative. Choosing a small college usually means that there will be less breadth in terms of the research that is undertaken by the faculty members. Choosing a large university usually means that there is more choice but there will also be larger classes. </p>
<p>The OP gained admission to some very well known elite private schools. It is my opinion that those schools offer things that are not offered by SUNY and SUNY offers things not offered by those elite competitive universities. If it were me, and I did not feel that constrained by finances, and especially as both Brown and Duke are need blind and meet need, I would choose Brown or Duke over a SUNY. That is not to say that graduating from SUNY means you won’t be successful. That is not at all true. But I believe that graduating from an elite private school confers advantages that some people find valuable. Graduating from SUNY confers other advantages. Less debt/more familiar social scene/often closer to home. This is not bashing SUNY but I think it a bit disingenuous to pretend that there are no differences between these very elite private schools and SUNY or to pretend that given that choice, most would choose SUNY. </p>
<p>it is not an indictment of Binghamton to suggest that there are some advantages to the elite schools. I doubt there are many threads on the Brown or Duke sites asking if they are as good as SUNY. It is true that those attending Duke/Brown will encounter some very wealthy people (and a good number who have experience with poverty) from all over the world. So, if that would bother you, SUNY is obviously a better choice. Some students prefer going to school with many of their high school friends. That is less likely for the private schools unless you attended an elite private high school. Pros and cons to both. </p>