If it were my kid, I’d try to steer him or her to Michigan. Will someone get a better job or be more likely to get into grad school with a degree from Michigan vs the others?? Who knows.? Personally, I think Michigan would open more doors, but I also think that fit is really important. If a kid doesn’t see himself or herself thriving at X University, then it’s not the school to attend. I’m a Michigan alum and a Midwesterner who has lived in the Northeast for 30+ years. Both my kids visited Ann Arbor when they were looking at colleges, but nothing clicked for either one. I think they were probably being short-sighted and influenced by their peers who were almost exclusively looking at schools in the Northeast.