<p>
OP specifically said to assume full pay. Obviously the equation changes if aid results come back with unexpected $$$.
Even full pay, it would still be cheaper than the others. If you missed deadlines, that’s a shame, but you and your family need to decide whether or not to try for some middle ground in the form of a reasonable OOS public.</p>
<p>Regardless, you should apply to at least some of the elites you mentioned in the OP. You never know, the aid offer might be better than you expect. But if you do end up full-pay, my answer to the question in your title is NO unless you are interested in finance or consulting. And at that point, you need to decide whether you would be happy attending UConn or not.</p>
<p>How about location of these schools? Is that important for job recruiting - like would Rice be great because it’s in Houston, or does it not matter? And how is UConn’s location in that way if the answer is yes?</p>
<p>^^ Recruiting isn’t just regional. My son who is an engineering student at Rice got a great internship last summer in NYC.</p>
<p>Location makes some difference in recruiting, but not a ton. Most companies will recruit from nearby schools even if they are not a great match for their needs, simply because the costs are nearly zero. For small companies, this may be their only recruiting effort - many small companies establish themselves near universities for this very reason. Larger companies will travel cross country to recruit at universities that they think fill their needs well. My company hits something like 2 dozen different out-of-state school for engineers, and relatively few new hires are from the local schools. That having been said, what companies are near the schools you mentioned, and how does that compare to a list of companies where you would like to work?</p>
<p>Most (or all) schools have a recruiting office that can tell you which companies attend their recruiting events, and many departments maintain a list of companies that have hired their graduates. Also, if there are specific companies in which you have an interest, you may be able to find a list of schools where they recruit - they don’t keep it secret, they want people showing up to meet them.</p>