<p>As a NY resident, SUNY Buffalo would be a very cheap option for me and it has a well respected engineering program. But I think that I could also get into RPI or University of Maryland. Would it be smarter to go to SUNY Buffalo and get a good degree for cheap, or go to Maryland or RPI and end up in debt with a great degree?</p>
<p>Basically what I'm asking is if I went to Buffalo and gave the same amount of effort as I would at RPI or Maryland, could I go just as far?</p>
<p>Bump…</p>
<p>bump…</p>
<p>I would go to Maryland, it’s not too expensive (cheaper than RPI) and provides a great engineering education (better than SUNY Buffalo)</p>
<p>Yes, you can definitely go just as far with a degree from Buffalo as you can with a degree from RPI or Maryland. And, when you describe yourself as giving “the same amount of effort”, you show that you are thinking in exactly the right way. I am personally familiar with both Buffalo and RPI, and I suspect the same could be said of Maryland, namely, it’s your effort that’s going to lead to a good engineering education and later success, these places aren’t going to coddle you as an undergrad.</p>
<p>I have had many friends have success coming out of SUNY Buffalo with an engineering degree.</p>
<p>Of my two friends that went to RPI, one transferred to Buff due to the “girl problem” and other social issues at RPI that made him really unhappy there.</p>
<p>Based on what you have posted, I would choose Buffalo over Maryland or RPI. The additional cost is not likely to be worth it. It might be a different story if you were choosing Buffalo over Cornell, Columbia, Penn, MIT, Michigan, Georgia Tech and other elite engineering programs.</p>