The experience at Smith will have significant differences with that at UCD.
First, because it’s a women’s college, so it’s dedicated to empowering women in the sciences and building resiliency - with so many giving up along the way, it’s really valuable.
Second, it’s part of the Seven Sisters, so the alumnae network is extensive, dedicated, and powerful - it makes a big difference for internships and jobs.
Third, because it’s a school with money, all sorts of extra costs are covered - in particular, in case of a low pay summer internship, the college provides money for rent/food.
This is not to say UCD is bad - in fact, it’s just as strong academically even for undergrads, the location is good, students are happy, and Environmental sciences is one of its strengths.
However, it’d be fudging things quite a bit to consider them similar experiences.
Is the difference “worth it”? Only your family can determine that - probably after attending admitted student days.
It also depends on what you mean by “stretching”: do you mean “weekly dinners at our favorite restaurants become monthly occurrences and that family trip to Italy will have to wait a couple more years” or “let’s really really hope the furnace doesn’t break down because there’s no money to fix it” - you don’t have to reply but the feasibility of the first form of “stretching” makes Smith reasonable but the second one, probably not.
If I had the money I would consider investing in my kid’s education the best kind of investment but I wouldn’t take parental loans for that.