<p>I am aware that ABET credited programs ensure a student graduates with a certain level of competency. It appears to me the rigor of different engineering programs can vary a great deal. The highly ranked programs, as one would expect, will have a more difficult program and more difficult exams to separate the students along a bell curve. Is it better for a student to go to the best engineering school possible even if the gpa obtained is a 2.9? Will this student actually have learned more than the student at a mid-tier program and who obtains a 3.4. </p>
<p>How should one view academic fit and choice of college? Is it better to be an average student at a top program or a top student at an average program?</p>