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<p>I had received a generous offer from RPI and asked if CMU could match it. I probably could have gone to my state school or another state’s honor college with a merit scholarship for cheaper than CMU, but I feel the extra bit of money was well worth what I got out of it.</p>
<p>I’d also say going to an “elite” school can have different benefits depending on who you are and what sort of luck you have. I’m at Caltech now working on my PhD, and I wound up collaborating with a former PhD from our lab that was in industry for a few years. He’s now at JPL and has introduced me to a ton of people up there. They’ve basically told me I need to graduate ASAP, so I can get hired by them.</p>
<p>One of my friends and I were at a conference, and we were talking with this dude from Switzerland. One of the responsibilities of his job was helping organize an exchange student type program for graduate students at his national lab (or whatever their equivalent is). When he heard we were from Caltech he immediately offered summer jobs if we wanted to work there. My friend took him up on the offer since one of the top people in his subfield works there. He wound up spending nine months in Switzerland doing research and skiing. In a few months when he graduates he’s going back to continue working there as a postdoc.</p>
<p>These are things that are being in the right place at the right time with the right set of skills. It certainly can happen at less known schools, but it seems to me like it could be a lot harder.</p>