The tier of the college does not matter. Tiers are contrived. What matters is what you do. Look who produces the most Fulbrights, Rhodes, you name it. It’s not a who’s who of elite schools. It’s a who’s who of Podunk Us. You’re far better off getting a high GPA and being engaged in something additional like research or an engineering club at Podunk U than you are disengaged and a C student at MIT.