Go to google images and put in the name of each school and look at pictures of their campuses. Which place looks like the kind of place you want to live in for 4yrs?
To be fair, I only speak of winter. I don’t know what the weather’s like from June to September and it may well be very mild and sunny then.
Absolute cold was Minnesota to me and it felt worse in Buffalo, also Erie but not as bad as Buffalo. Liked the cold in Minnesota more because it was sunny and crisp, and everything was ready for that weather.
Coming from Malaysia it’ll be a shock for OP in any case.
Op: wait till you get to your chosen university till you buy key winter clothing including insulated coat, mittens, hat, scarves, long/thermal underwear, and winter boots (llbean duck boots for example.) Plan for that budget. Also, when it’s super fold outside Americans keep their houses and classrooms very warm So you’ll dress in layers.
Ask each office of admission to put you in touch with a Malaysian student on each campus and ask questions. 
@Wien2NC – So Lincoln is OK… what about anything around it? How close is Lincoln to interesting urban areas, interesting wilderness areas, interesting places, period? This part of the country has no public transportation, so you’re totally stuck without a car. Even with a car, you’re HOURS away from Chicago or Denver or any other real city. (If you count Denver as a real city. And I live here, so I know what I’m talking about.) If you live in Buffalo you can take the train to NYC and beyond. There are buses. You can get to the coast. You can get to mountains. To cities. Good luck with any of that living in Nebraska, where fun goes to die as the guys on South Park pointed out many, many times – to the agreement of the good people of Nebraska who do refer to their state as “flyover country.”
^ No engineering student is going from Buffalo to NYC except maybe when on break.
NYC is over 9 hours away from Buffalo by train.
Seems like there are a bunch of extraneous stuff thrown about that won’t matter to the OP on this thread. LA on a layover (or any other city on a layover) on a flight back home would be an easier place to visit than any of NYC/Chicago/Denver from Buffalo/ISU/UNL by train/car.
Lincoln is a relatively safe medium-sized city that is the state capital. There are big-time sports, minor league baseball, locally brewed beers, interesting restaurants. The university is compact, well organized, & well maintained. They are generous with granting AP credit, and have good out-of-state scholarships. The past 2 winters have been amazingly mild. You can do a LOT worse.
Those wanting more can go to Omaha, about an hour away.
OP should be aware that he cannot just flit into Canada without a visa which would only be obtainable from his original country and not in the States. So when looking into major airports to fly into, Canada can be a transfer point but not an end point without a visitor’s visa. If a student really had time to travel, then the east coast is a better location. Based on program and university experience, I believe Iowa State fits the bill the best. They also have a notable career fair each year to help with job placement and internships.
Which univ have better civil engineering programs? Should I go to ISU just because there are more Malaysians students in it?
^^The OP would have had to decide by 5/1
Lot of misinformation here. Buffalo is NOT expensive to live in. It is far away from NYC and it’s culture It also DOES NOT overlook the Falls. That is Niagara Falls, NY. Buffalo is a smallish city that has seen better times, though it is surrounded by some nice countryside. I doubt that the countryside will be much of a factor to a student. Toronto, with it’s massive Asian population and culture, is two hours to the north should you yearn for a weekend trip, but you’d have to cross the border and all that entails. Buffalo has a winter, and a lot of snow, but it is not much colder than the other two spots. The lake has a moderating effect.
Both Ames and Lincoln are decent college towns. Midwestern people tend to be a bit friendlier. I would pick the best school of the three. You might also ask what school has the larger Asian/Malay(or Chinese) population if you would feel more comfortable there.
My wife is originally from Alor Setar, and survived Wisconsin and Quebec winters, both of which are worse than what you will experience. Good luck to you.
I'll defer to TooOld4School about plane flights from Malaysia.