Georgia Tech is NOT a no brainer. The same can be said for ANY school. Some students don’t want to go to a school that is almost exclusively tech, even if they have the grades and horsepower to succeed.
My son had the stats to be competitive at the top tech only schools, but very strongly wanted a “classic college experience.” He ended up in a solid technical program (Cal Poly). Even though they have nearly 1000 mechanical engineering students, engineering students only make up 25% of the student body.
I may have missed this earlier in the thread, but maybe UGA is the best compromise between cost and reputation. A Georgia grad who applies him or herself, gets good grades, and is involved in clubs and/or research will do fine.
Engineering is VERY egalitarian. The school may open some extra doors for the first job, but when the rubber hits the road, the best performers will move up the ladder. There’s no guarantee that the GT student will be a better engineer than the UGA student. All you have to do is to look at LinkedIn profiles of high level engineers including CEOs and see where they went to undergrad. Classic example, Tim Cook…Auburn.