Colleges near rochester, ny for BS in chem?

i am considering going to Empire state college due to financial and geographical reasons but if the education is not worthwhile and employer will not take me, my education, or degree seriously then i'm not going to bother. i know that some major universities when compared to other collages have similar or weaker undergraduate programs but are of course untouchable when it come to the graduate level. i'm really confused and flustered about the situation any advice with some helpful links would be great.