It should be news to exactly no one that top firms hire from top schools. Research has shown that attending an elite university can make or break a student’s chances of being recruited by the best firms (whether or not that strategy makes sense for firms). But a recent study, by Russell Weinstein of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, found that “top schools” is a less obvious category than it seems — and in some cases students might be better off avoiding the obvious top schools altogether.