Where to go for engineering?

I got in to Santa Clara, Cal Poly, and UC Santa Barbara for Mechanical Engineering. Which school has the best program and which one is the most rigorous. I also got in to San Diego State, but I know it is not a great school. Why is it considered hard to get in to by some people?

<p>Cal Pol and UCSB are both really good I know UCSB has a good physics department.</p>