<p>See the difference between me and you is that I have been a student at both schools. BNL is a great asset, I worked there for 2 years. Manhattan is NOT an hour away, rather 2 hours by a train with a transfer. UT just opened a brand new Bill and Melinda Gates Computer Science building and UT is not much more expensive than SBU. It all depends where one is from and whether they can get in state tuition or not. If the person posting is a Texas resident then UT will be a much better choice.</p>
<p>I know exactly what 1st tier means and I know for a fact that SBU is NOT. I struggled tremendously and had to put in a lot of work at SBU to get work and research experience. There just aren’t as many opportunities at SBU.</p>
<p>And lets not even talk about social life because that is not even a fair topic. I have met so many students at SBU who are just not happy with life there but I have yet to meet an unhappy student at UT. BTW I was not comparing Austin to NYC, I have lived in NYC for 12 years and there is no better city, I was comparing Austin to Stony Brook.</p>
<p>Either way, I am sure the person who posted will make the right choice.</p>