The devil you know…
I live near Stonybrook and know many graduates. They all loved it or absolutely hated it,
depends what you are looking for. If you look at colleges.niche.com you will find that both schools
have posts about loving or hating it. Personal choice. I can say there are very very few schools where
you would see unanimous agreement. One of the few I did see that was universally loved,
my S turned down for RPI. Not saying RPI is perfect, nothing is.
There are those that think NO undergraduate school is worth paying more than a state U.
All I can say is that short of severe financial need, private schools generally cost more than state U,
and you have to decide of the experience is more valuable to you.