It’s easy for prospective international students to focus on high-ranking or well-known schools like the California Institute of Technology or the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. But while many engineering professors say prestige matters, there are other factors students should consider — because the big-name school might not be the right fit.

Choosing the best location, for example, can create a rich learning environment and provide important contacts in a student’s course of study.

David W.L. Cheung, a computer science professor and director of the Center for E-Commerce Infrastructure Development at the University of Hong Kong, says that it is important to target a part of the world that’s of personal interest. “If they want to experience working in Asia, coming here can provide that.”

[Learn more about what top universities in Asia have to offer.]

If a student doesn’t get into a so-called big name school, he or she should look for location. “If they go to a university near Silicon Valley, that will benefit them even if the university doesn’t have as good a reputation. They also should look for programs where professors have good industry connections,” he says.

In the same way, those interested in working in Mexico or near the Mexican border can take advantage of programs like those at the University of Texas–Pan American, where the university is partnering with maquiladoras, factories from the U.S. and other countries that operate in Mexican border cities in order to profit from inexpensive labor costs in Mexico.

Miguel Gonzalez, dean of the college of engineering and computer science at the university, says students can benefit from the strong alumni network of his university, both in the U.S. and internationally. He says the school has relationships with prestigious technical universities in Mexico and is forging ties in China and other countries.

Peter Schroeder, a professor of computer science and applied and computational mathematics at Caltech, says the school has an alumni network that feeds into the rich mix of industry in the Los Angeles area. But he points out that state universities also often have strong alumni networks and job placement programs, as they are supported by taxpayer dollars and aim to make students marketable.

Students should also look into class offerings and facilities before making a choice, Schroeder says.

“A lot depends on how focused you are,” he says. “If you know exactly what you want to do, a small place like Caltech can be a great. But if you haven’t narrowed your interests, UC–Berkeley might be better. They have a great breadth of classes.”

Schroeder says that Caltech offers outstanding facilities, and depending on your field, that can matter. Caltech administers programs on behalf of NASA, and that gives students access to space, science and engineering resources. He says to check to make sure the university has the labs and facilities that will allow you to do the work you want to do.

[Explore the top global universities for space science.]

Beyond school resources, fellow students are also an important consideration. “We have an enormous number of students from mainland China and Hong Kong,” says Nick Buenfeld, head of civil and environmental engineering at Imperial College London. “And it is very exciting for students to come from China or India to London. It is a big advantage because you are where people are having an influence on all sorts of things. It is important to work with someone who is doing something that excites you.”

Stanford University-educated Natalie Privett, an industrial engineer who is an assistant professor of management and policy at New York University‘s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, points out that many students find they have such diverse interests that honing in on a grad school specialization is limiting.

“Academia is very siloed,” she says, with sharp divisions between disciplines. “Engineers stay in engineering and economists stay in their own little area. People who have diverse interests and are multidisciplinary find it hard to find the right fit. I am somewhere between management, science and engineering.”

But Buenfeld says that students also have to be wary of courses that seem to offer creative freedom, but have little substance. “Some less prestigious places are offering innovative courses and add-ons to appeal to students,” he says. “I am telling them to be wary because there may be problems with accreditation if some of the core elements are removed.”

Students can also test the waters before they apply with an internship, which can also allow professors at the university to get to know the students. Caltech’s Schroeder grew up in Germany and wanted to go to MIT, but didn’t get in at first. But he received an internship there, his professors were impressed, and he was accepted on a later try.

[See photos of the world’s top 20 research institutions.]

No matter how well prepared you are, the economy when you graduate will play a role in your success and will also influence the importance of the prestige factor.

“When the economy is bad, a brand name university matters,” says Gonzalez, from the University of Texas–Pan American. “But when the economy is good and people are really looking for good engineers with advanced degrees, it doesn’t matter as much. At the end of the day, it is the individual who makes the difference, not whether you came out of a big-name engineering school.”

Some in industry go even further.

“We need someone with a sharp and inquisitive mind who is good at learning new skills and can quickly absorb a new set of facts and solve problems,” says Robert Anderson, an electrical engineer at Silicon Labs in Austin, Texas, which makes a variety of computer parts. “We assume they are more screened at the bigger schools, but really, at engineering schools, they don’t teach them the things we find useful.”

See the complete rankings of the Best Global Universities.

More from U.S. News

3-D Printing Makes a Mark on Engineering Education

Careers in Petroleum Engineering Offer a Well of Opportunity

Engineering Programs Work to Get Research from Lab to Customers

What to Know About International Graduate Engineering Programs originally appeared on usnews.com