"inexperienced college students is very likely to build a large system that goes terribly, horribly wrong"
Maybe you should hire them when it is their third system? First one goes horribly wrong because of lack of engineering, second goes horribly wrong because of over-engineering (the well known second-system syndrome) and by the third they should be ready to go.
By the third successful system, they aren't inexperienced anymore (and will cost you accordingly), and if it's the third failed system, they wouldn't necessarily have learned anything. It's possible to flounder around for a long time given lack of direction.
Maybe you should hire them when it is their third system? First one goes horribly wrong because of lack of engineering, second goes horribly wrong because of over-engineering (the well known second-system syndrome) and by the third they should be ready to go.