<p>Caltech students make nearly $70K with a B.S. If you make it through Caltech, you’re automatically going to be considered uber smart and very hard working. Generally, you’re also going to be a stable person because the workload can be stressful and youthe handled it. You knowto how toI manage your time and stay on task. And you will already have research experience under your belt because research opportunities are unusually accessible at Caltech. Its not just branding. You might get as much preparation elsewhere im a place ranked lower, but you would have to make sure it happens and communicate that well. That is generally true for other top rated schools as well. Remember that a course taught at a top school may be much more difficult than a course with the same name at a lower ranked school. On the other hand I previewed a course in my area of graduate studies offered at one of the top engineering schools, and I found it to be very seriously lacking. I suspect the prof was trained in a related area, not the area he was teaching. So, there are exceptions to the quality one souls expect.</p>