I firmly that believe that an excellent student will excel regardless of where he or she is. I, too, have seen it ~ although not to the level of your relative! Good for him!
Thanks Dukie. My relative - it's my Dad actually, was quite nervous when he got to Penn and realized he'd be competing against students from Harvard, Yale etc. But he figured out fairly quickly that he really wasn't at a disadvantage. He always felt he got a very good education at Bowling Green.
The point is, there are excellent students at all universities, not just those that are considered "top drawer". I doubt BGSU is on anyone's top ten list. I don't really think about a school's "reputation", I just look at the individual student.