<p>I think it’s mostly about personality. If you’re good enough to get into an Ivy, you MOST LIKELY (not always) have one of two personalities. 1) You’re a super genius freak who got lots of “perfects”, won many awards, nationally ranked in something or 2) You’re brilliant, well-rounded, leader, do lots of activities, play varsity sports, excel at instruments, volunteer, etc. So, either way, you’ve got something going for you before you even step through the gates of an Ivy. You’re either super-smart, and going to succeed doing research, saving lives, etc. or you’re really bright and well-rounded and will naturally become a leader, CEO, whatever. So those 18 years of experience are what make you who you are, and I feel like regardless of what school they go to, all those “Ivy-quality” people would have suceeded anyway, brand-name diploma or not. It’s sort of like one of those naturally-pretty people- yes, they may look prettier with makeup, but makeup or not, they’re still beautiful.</p>
<p>The people who are worried about not getting into Ivies and therefore not suceeding are those who don’t have the personality/skills to suceed on their own terms and need a brand-name education to get where they want to go. A lot of those people end up not getting into Ivies, anyway.</p>