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What constitutes a “good” education is highly debatable. Unless you have any evidence suggesting that certain characteristics are prerequisites to quality education, I’m inclined to drop that topic given its subjective nature.</p>
<p>Exit opportunities are far more cut-and-dried, although there are few controlled studies available. If you want to work at Goldman Sachs, you would do well to attend a top-ranked school. There are some other programs that feed in as well, but in general the name brand will help. If you want to be an accountant, recruitment will be largely regional and attending the best accounting school in the region where you want to work would be the best idea. If you want to be a doctor or lawyer, save as much money as possible.</p>
<p>EDIT: As an engineer, you have a number of potential tracks available. Major engineering employers recruit at many places.</p>
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I can’t say for sure without knowing your situation, but I would hesitantly say “yes” because the difference is so small. However, someone capable of gaining admission to the Ivy could almost certainly find a reputable public school costing less than 25k thanks to merit awards.
Even if we accept your premise as true, it is irrelevant. We are talking about undergraduate education, correct?</p>