I agree with eliminating Duke unless your parents can readily afford it and there’s something about it you love.
I agree with saying no to UNC - you can’t do engineering there and you gave no indication of wanting to do business.
So first off - congrats - you have wonderful options.
The first cut is ALWAYS budget. Can your family afford your options? Do they want to afford your options?
There is no denying that in some cases, some schools do carry more weight than others - so a Ga Tech and Purdue are wonderful.
At the same time, that might help sometimes, but in general - if you were a MechE for example, ABET matters most.
My kid chose Bama (not for the money but because he got his own room) - and he’s in a program at work with kids from Purdue, Michigan, etc. etc. but his company also hires Akron, W Michigan - and more. That’s the ABET is equalizing, etc.
When my kid interned during the summer, he roomed with two Ga Tech kids who interned at the same company. He went back a second year; they weren’t invited back.
So yes, some schools are more reputed but it doesn’t mean you can’t have a similar outcome.
Assuming all are in budget - and fortunately, Ga Tech and Purdue are “lower cost” compared to others - then it’s into more:
You don’t know what you want to major in - well maybe Purdue is great for that - as you start as an FYE - but at the same time - you need to meet certain qualifications to get the major of your choice. How is it at the others (secondary admission - you might look).
Ga Tech is urban - just North of downtown. NC State is - almost suburban - but not far from urban - and while my son was admitted, he declined it in part because of the separate engineering campus - is that something that you’re ok with - going back and forth?
Purdue is in a small city - but it has everything - but an hour from the airport, two from Chicago. Fantastic campus. Check the housing situation - when my son was deciding, they were housing people off campus and he did not want that. I believe in the five years since - that’s been resolved. @momofboiler1 and others who post only have the greatest to say about the Purdue experience.
Bama - let’s be honest - they buy kids in. The housing is great, the weather fine and the campus is gorgeous - immaculate, clean and the engineering quad is tremendous. But Presidential elite is not a full ride - it’s four years tuition, one year housing (so figure $10K for housing in other years) and does not include food. So maybe you’re 12-15K a year after the first. But you also get another $1K a year (put toward board) in scholarship, $500 for books each year and a one time $2K stipend - maybe you go abroad in a summer and use toward that.
You don’t have a bad choice - including Duke - but if it were me, I’d look at:
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Budget - what can your parents afford or more importantly what do they want to afford
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Secondary admissions - will I be able to get the major, whatever it is, that I ultimately decide to study.
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Environment - am I ok urban? Am I ok with a 20 minute walk or bus ride to another campus? Or do I want to leave my state (NC State is fine)
There’s really no wrong choice here - you can be very successful from any of them. That said, removing Duke, there’s no doubt that Ga Tech and Purdue have the name “cache” - but is that extra - whatever it is - $100K+ over Bama and the delta to NC State - worth having that “cache”. Only you can decide.
Admittedly, I wanted my son to choose Purdue. We didn’t have your level of scholarship at Bama but saved about $80K. My son told me the cache was overrated - and at least in his case, he was right.
But only you can decide - I’d first figure out, which would you really want to be at? And then go from there - to the - ok I want school X - do mom and day have a way to pay?
No need to take loans!!
Best of luck.
