Both RPI and Stevens are great schools. You can’t go wrong at either, though I give the nod to Stevens for retaining the broad-based, interdisciplinary, as well as the discipline-specific curriculum I described. I would give the internship/co-op program at Stevens the nod as well, due to the proximity to New York City and the connections that Stevens has with the Fortune 500. I worked with many RPI alumni and they were all top notch, again, you can’t go wrong at either. Both are demanding schools with rigorous curricula. For better or worse, most technological universities have a disproportionate ratio of men to women. I suspect RPI does as well. I went to school to get an education, dating came later so for me it wasn’t an issue (and when I attended Stevens, it was 93% men to 7% woman, now it’s about 70/30, so times have certainly changed).
As other posters have noted, if you will broaden your geographic selection you should have many more options for potential merit aid at certified programs in ME. If that is a possibility, there are other schools that can be added to the mix. But getting that SAT higher should be top priority if merit is required.
Good luck!