> If you're basing your success off of gaining entry into those schools I have to guess you grew up in a very closed off, extremely wealthy area. Either that o

> If you're basing your success off of gaining entry into those schools I have to guess you grew up in a very closed off, extremely wealthy area. Either that or a middle income/upper middle income immigrant community. Often the intersection of the two. But, yeah. Having worked at several and in the orbit of basically of them: I'm an extreme skeptic of undergraduate prestige factories. Go to a school with decent resources. That's a MUCH better way to think about it than "decent school", which could mean anything. Want does that mean? Depends on your major. Once there, be curious. Be voracious. Advocate for yourself. Major it whatever you want. But also make sure at least one of your majors has a lower-risk career track to fall back on. Never, ever accept "prestige" in lieu of either opportunities to grow or earn cold hard $$$. Always remember you live in a capital-ist society. People and institutions say they value a lot of things -- knowledge, God, country. But in a Capital-ism, power and comfort flow from people who have access to capital to whomever those people please.