Graduating from a top 5 cs program will at least ensure that you have learned a good deal of information from a wide variety of topics in computer science.
It's been my experience that the most capable members of a team have all shared a passion for learning combined with open mind. The fact that the top schools tend to select for those traits have led people to conflate credentials with excellence.
As will books: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/315/books/list.html
It's been my experience that the most capable members of a team have all shared a passion for learning combined with open mind. The fact that the top schools tend to select for those traits have led people to conflate credentials with excellence.