43:
“While agreeing that the flagships are essential to the requirements of a STEM focused world, it doesn’t necessarily translate into what’s be for ME (or any individual).”
Errare humanum est.
^^^
Not everyone speaks Spanish, you know. 
A key factor is the specific major she is interested in within engineering. Some majors pay about the same across a wide range of jobs. Chem E seems to be like this. It pays well but the range seems very narrow.
In contrast, Computer Science salaries range a lot. The employers do not really seem to care where you went to school, but the top programs do a better job of getting students prepared for the rigors of CS technical interviews that can be very difficult if you are targeting Google or that type of company.
I would also consider how strong their success rates are with women in engineering and particularly within her target major. Some schools like Carnegie have had a lot of success with women in CS for example. Penn also has an excellent mentoring program for women in CS through their Women in Computer Science program. Details like that can make a huge difference in outcomes.
@Wien2NC, for you, it’s “vestis virum facit.” 
you have me pegged and i have no idea how you did it.
The “Irish gift.”