<p>In regards to factors such as letters of recommendation: a former classmate of mine who was matriculated at Princeton was admitted into Harvard for his graduate school of choice, and he had recommendations from his PI who was a NAS member and a Harvard alumni, a Nobel Laureate at his school, and also a scientist from Germany with whom he was able to do research with due to recommendations of the aforementioned folk. Since there aren’t any of these high-powered professors at SUNYs, how much would this hurt me as competition?</p>