[smurfgirl]

I think the most important factor for you to consider is the "fit" of the school to what you are interested in and looking for. This includes academics, but also extracurricular activities, other opportunities provided, and the general personality of the school and its students. If you end up at a school that is a good fit for you, that will put you in the best position to be able to succeed and to grow, and that's what will ultimately benefit you the most in the long run.

I wouldn't worry too much about the school rank, because as I said you're setting yourself up for success as long as you select a school that's a good fit for you. With the exception of a very small number of companies, most companies are happy to recruit engineers from any accredited program.

Four years ago, when I was in the process of deciding where to go to college, I loved everything about my current school but was nervous about matriculating because I thought it would be too difficult. It turns out that going a little bit outside of my comfort zone and challenging myself was really good for me and helped me to develop as a student, a leader, and a person in general. Occasionally I think it would have been nice to go to an easier school where I could have gotten a perfect GPA and didn't have to work as hard, but I don't think I would have been as happy or gotten as much out of my college experience.

I agree that you should try to visit the schools that you are interested in; that will help to give you an idea of whether it "feels" right. I know that sounds wishy-washy and hard to quantify, and as a future engineer you probably want to make decisions based on numbers and data, but I really think that the fit of the school is the number one thing to consider.