Honestly, I don't have much experience and knowledge about the schools around here, beyond what has already been said. I went to a small Christian school in florida for my BS Mech. Eng.
I really liked the ME degree because it was so broad that it had applications anywhere, and it really helped me in learning the specifics for any job. An example is a list of the jobs I was considering when I got out, I was looking at being a Comm. engineer for Pacific Bell, a Bio-medical device engineer for medtronic AVE, a paint engineer for toyota, or a product engineer for Ford.
It just shows the very broad range of oppurtunities that are applicable to an ME degree, where w/ some of the other ones, you are really restricted in what you can choose once you are done. I got out when the auto industry was at an all time high, so I was able to take a position that put me in a good position for good money right away, but w/ recent events, it doesn't look like that will be the case again for a little while.
I guess my advice is, get the degree that will give you the broadest knowledge base. Every job you will take will require you to learn the specifics of the job anyway, so set yourself up for it.
