I think that your basic idea is good, OP. Lower-tier schools can provide the training you need for grad schools, often better than the more supposedly prestigious schools. Smaller schools often have one-on-one mentorship that larger schools reserve for their Ph.D. students.
I can’t link here to the following site because linkage to blogs are not allowed, but google the words “Ph.D. feeder schools” and “college solution” and you should come up with a set of graphs that show some surprising undergrad names of schools that produce a lot of Ph.D. candidates and the fields they specialized in.
Also–
- going to Princeton or the like to become a doctor can backfire. You're competing against the top of the top. Only some of you will get into med school. If those same students, with their smarts and work ethic, went to a mid-range school, they'd get the best grades, esp. if not in California because that state is oversaturated with MD-wannabees.
- For fun, check the list of schools that Harvard Law School accepted students from. The list is long and varied, from top-tier schools to state flagships, and small colleges that you've probably never heard of.
- To be guaranteed a job practicing law AND one that can pay for school loans, people tend to choose a top 10 or 15 school. That means high GPA and high LSAT. You can major in anything for law.
- For grad school, again, you have to have some sort of background that adds credence to your being able to do research and formulate new ideas in your given field, under a particular person's tutelage. Still: High GREs will smooth your path for most schools--esp those that have grant money to pay for the Ph.D. program.