<p>It all depends on a student’s self-motivation and his/her inquisitiveness for learning. You could even go to a low rank XYZ University and compete with an MIT guy if you know the subject well. Everyone has decent IQ at this level and is enough to do wonders if there is willingness to learn and work hard. It does not matter if an Ivy League genius solves a problem in 10 minutes and a medium IQ student solves it in one hour. Important thing is to see if you are making a sincere effort and trying to solve the problem. Science does not change between UF or UCF or any other school. Everybody follows the same textbooks. Unless you are someone who depends on the professors completely for learning and getting yourself motivated, and unless your surrounding environment (students) easily affects you, it really does not matter where you are if you are individualistic. The whole ranking and prestige thing is just a number game. Larger department + more number of students and faculty who are willing to study and work -> more research output -> more publications -> more funding -> better rank. As I mentioned, science stays the same everywhere. I think you should go to a place where you feel comfortable.</p>