<p>Georgia Tech has a good reputation for job placement. Even w/o a scholarship, GT costs less for OOS students than the private schools mentioned.</p>
<p>Generally speaking, the advantages of attending a less selective school would be (a) merit scholarship eligibility, (b) likelihood of being one of the top students who offered research opportunities, (c) honors college and its benefits (course selection, dorm selection, special classes with faculty contact, etc), (d) perhaps a better GPA upon graduation at a less competitive school, in other words, the perks and benefits of being the big fish in a smaller pond.</p>
<p>On the other side, perhaps you would learn more in an environment where you are pushed by having top students as your classmates. Top employers don’t bother recruiting at schools below a certain level (but as I said, the programs that GT offers are highly regarded by employers - they know you had to <em>earn</em> a degree from GT). The other thing about so-called elite schools (not GT or Purdue) - you are more likely to be able to network into rich and powerful people who send their children to those schools, which may help you over your lifetime.</p>