Alumni advantage in STEM? Please…if you connect with any well-off alum (assuming you even need that) at any elite school, you’ll be fine. I don’t think Cornell is going to stand out above any other top private in this category. “Ivy” is an almost irrelevant affiliation when you’re talking about the quality of Brown, Dartmouth, and Cornell vs. non-Ivies in similar ranking range (they should, like other non-Ivies be chosen on their “personalities” and curriculum structure and not because “well this is an Ivy, so will offer more opps than other schools that rank similarly” as that is hardly true. It does not make the alumni base infinitely stronger than strong non-Ivy privates or publics. The alumni bases are basically independent from one another within the Ivy League. Even the very top ones are not worth an extra 180 grand IMHO, at least not if you’re pursuing a STEM degree. You simply want a place that a) trains you well, b) you can put up a solid performance and c) has solid placement (what engineering program at a half-way decent school doesn’t…and now we’re talking about selective privates? Come on). I think both have you covered. Take the cheaper one.