<p>Go to the best college you can afford.</p>
<p>Given that money will be an issue, until you have your financial aid offers this discussion is somewhat pointless. After you have your fin aid then you can try and decide if “Ivy” is worth it vs your in-state options. Frankly, if you want to be an engineer, the Ivies financial offers are going to have to be very good to pass up UVA or VT (assuming their fin aid is competitive).</p>