answer:Hey, welcome to Fluther @GloriaEstefan. Is she thinking about education, or about status and prestige? The fact of the matter is, the type of degree and the quality of connections you’ve made, as well as how you grow as a person throughout college, matter far more than the name brand. I went where the money was—not the most prestigious school, one that few people have ever heard of in fact, but the one that gave me a scholarship. I graduated without any debt. I would make the same decision all over again. There’s no harm in applying to a few big name universities. One of them might give her a scholarship, or financial aid. But if you are helping her pay for college, and she does not receive any scholarships, she should be grateful to attend a state university, and she can do well there as long as she is motivated.