I agree.
Have a look at research on the financial ROI of attending a more prestigious, more selective, or higher-ranked college. I think the jury is still out. However, if there is any preliminary finding, it would appear to be this:
significant advantages in post-graduate financial outcomes aren’t seen until you compare across fairly big ranking/selectivity differences (as in: top 20 v. unranked).
I’m not among those who believe all rankings are completely meaningless. The highest-ranking schools generally do offer excellent academics, relatively small classes, good facilities, relatively generous need-based aid, etc. etc. But again, within the top 20, the differences aren’t all that big and consistent across all quality factors. If Hopkins at #12 is a better fit than Brown, well then it must have been a better fit when it was #15, too.