As a former average engineering student at a top school who's befriended and worked with a good number of top students at good but not top schools (ex: students

As a former average engineering student at a top school who's befriended and worked with a good number of top students at good but not top schools (ex: students on full rides in state school engineering programs), top students at these schools are probably somewhat better than the average student at a top school. Of course, this is just an anecdotal perspective. Your mileage may vary.