I think it is a truism of most flagship level colleges that they attract different students for different reasons. Some want to have a lot of fun, maybe with HS friends. Some are looking for excellent research departments, possibly honors colleges, and so on at a bargain price for in-state students. And so on.
I also think it is true most of the time, people find their people. Honors colleges or not, different majors, and so on.
This is maybe slightly more controversial, but I think today more than ever, most employers completely understand this, and even very selective ones are happy to consider applicants from these publics as long as they have strong individual markers of being the sorts of people they are looking for. Like, they understand that the costs of college have evolved over time, such that getting a bargain from a high quality flagship can mean a lot more today than it would have in, say, the 1980s or 1990s.
Does this mean there is no value in finding a college which is more your people than most? No, I think it makes sense to consider that as a positive.
I just don’t think it makes sense to pay an uncomfortable amount of money for that, particularly not if that would mean the students needed certain specific career outcomes to justify that added cost.