This is not a private school/state school divide. If a student attends public Bridgewater State University or private Suffolk University the opportunities available to them will be very limited compared to Northeastern, BU or University of Michigan etc. The school and faculty may not have the connections to help them get internships, research opportunities with faculty will be very limited, the physical resources of the school may not support research etc. Also for a very bright student the competition will be non-existent and they will breeze through.