Again, I wanna chime in that I personally would go to CMU. There are VERY few private Uni’s that are worth the price nowadays. CMU is certainly one that is worth it and since you say that your family is somewhat well off this makes it a much more viable option. Pittsburgh isn’t too far away from Mass so I would visit as soon as you can to see what they have there. UMass is a great school on a national level, especially in engineering and Business, but CMU engineering program is know around the World. Lastly, taking a little risk is fun once in a while. 