The Aquafarm costs about $60, depending on what promotions they have running at the time. For that price, I think it's a definite buy if you have any interest in gardening or aquaponics. It's also a great gift for a garden lover.
However, students who attend lower-ranked schools can still take a rigorous curriculum. Wherever you go to school, it's important to take the most advanced courses available and to take advantage of elective credits to strengthen your engineering education.
That's a good point, but as an engineer you also do have to be a good bookworm. Peoples lives can depend on your ability to be right. Extra stuff can be as important as grades and which school, but that doesn't diminish proving yourself in the classroom. you can be a good bookworm at any school though.