Which rankings? US News? Being ranked 89 (and in the top 40 for public universities) isn’t bad at all.
If it’s US News undergraduate engineering rankings, you should consider that the schools tend to be lump together, with several schools all “tied” at ranking 30, 32, 38, 43, 67, etc. The difference between SUNY Buffalo at 67 and RPI at 30 is only about 6 spots, and not 37. It’s much closer than you may think.
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/engineering-doctorate
You should also consider the USNWR Engineering methodology. It’s 100% based on institutional reputation according to school deans or their stand-ins. Last year only 50% of schools that grant PhDs replied and even less for schools that don’t, 33%. It is very unscientific and has a strong tendency to self perpetuate.
Engineering is pretty egalitarian. A quick LinkedIn search shows the top 8 spots where Buffalo engineering alumni are linked to be Amazon, Moog, Microsoft, Lockheed, Google, Intel, IBM and Northrup. It’s hard to claim Buffalo would hinder his job search considering Stanford’s top 8 on LinkedIn are Google, Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Intel, Oracle, Cisco, and Amazon. The list is pretty similar with some regional preferences for each differentiating the two.
It’s also hard to overstate how beneficial being debt free is entering the job market. Debt service is a pretty big weight.
@Gator88NE , I meant undergraduate engineering thank you for pointing out the actual difference. Good point.
@eyemgh , That all makes total scenes. I knew that the ranking is somewhat artificial. UB is his top choice now. He defiantly likes it more than RPI and almost the same as NU ( with the exception of location and the weather) and that is almost 3 times cheaper makes a huge difference.
Thanks everyone for valuable input, if not this forum we would not even go to Buffalo to give it a try.
UB sounds like an excellent option! Yea, the weather will be tough… .but all the students will be in the same boat together . I went to Clarkson (less snow but more cold) and do have fond memories, despite the weather challenges.
@Ultramarine777 My son is in a similar situation as yours last year - He was accepted into UB Honors College and interested in Aerospace. Waiting on other decisions from WPI, RPI, NU. UB will be most affordable therefore seriously considering it. Just wondering how your son is liking his first year at UB?