If anyone in a similar situation ever reads this: though College Confidential was helpful, I had much more luck and some VERY informative and thought-provoking responses on this reddit thread that I made…
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/31k41h/serious_is_an_ivy_undergrad_education_worth_the/
(if the link doesn’t work, just search “[Serious] Is an Ivy undergrad education worth the money?”