[chiph]

> If so, does it have to be a nice college?

It needs to be (at a minimum) a program that is ABET accredited. And is likely to keep their accreditation until you graduate.

Other than that, it doesn't need to be somewhere like Stanford unless that's something you really want and have the brains for. A state college, a smaller private college, all can be good places to attend. Where you went to school and the GPA you got only matter for the first (and maybe the second) job out of college. Afterwards, employers will give you a pass on it.

If/When you do a college visit, talk to the CompSci department and ask about the faculty, and what areas of concentration they have - graphics, databases, algorithms, etc. And see if that matches what you have an interest in. Call ahead and make an appointment with one of the faculty advisors - the usual university tours will just hand-wave at the building on their way to showing you the glitzy student center. As a point of reference, the CompSci department at universities usually got created within the math, business, or physics departments before being split off. So their syllabus will reflect that heritage.