Yes. Particularly for gifted kids (any variety) the local public college, or a modestly priced small school, can and does provide a great undergraduate education that can still unlock elite graduate programs.
It's a little crazy to think that a few years of education should leave a student (or parents) with 100K+ in debt. That is the kind of debt that prevents home ownership, building a family, or accepting an exciting (but not well-paying) first job that comes with non-monetary career advantages.
