[DonRotolo]

First, consider the size of school and town you are comfortable with. Since you got to NBTHS, you'll probably do better at a larger school in a smaller community than a smaller school or one in a large city. But, if you are introverted, small school might be better, and if you're street smart, a city might be OK too.

Second, consider the distance. Try to keep it in driving distance (5-6 hours, like Maine to Virginia to Ohio from NJ)

Third, consider costs. MIT might be cool, and get you a great first job, but after 10 years where you graduated from (with a bachelor's, at least) has little impact. If money isn't an issue, then ignore this one.

Fourth, find out about the faculty they have teaching undergrads. Nice facilities are, well, nice, but you don't learn from the facilities, you learn from the profs. The best universities have the best staff, facilities kind of follow but not necessarily.

I went to SUNY Stony Brook, a large school on Long Island. Very inexpensive but top quality. I started at a smaller school in PA, but while they had great facilities, their staff was mostly lower quality, and it became obvious to me during the second year, so I left.

NJIT is OK, but it's in Newark. Whatever you do, don't live at home, the most important part of your education is the part about living on your own. Really. Stevens is just OK.

RPI has a great program, it takes 5 years but you get some great internship opportunities. Rochester is a good school, too. But, no matter where you go, there will always be internship opportunities near the school, so that shouldn't be a big factor.

Anne B's comment about practical versus theoretical is important, if you're the hands-on type you'll be very unhappy at a school with a theoretical focus, and since you like building Robots, it sounds like you're a practical type. But, remember you still need the theory. Doubt you'll find a robotics program in many places, but electrical and mechanical are good choices. Electrical with a biomed minor would be wild, so you can built androids...

Oh, and during the next year or two, convince your parents to do some campus visits (even Rutgers), so you get a feel for the atmosphere you can expect. Then, when its for real, you won't be as intimidated.

Good Luck,
Don

(PS: If Robotics is really that interesting, write to some famous robot people and ask them about their education. JPL has some robots up on Mars, and Roomba sells robots too... Visit their web sites to get names, and send a real US Postal letter for a huge impact)