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<p>The only thing that will be a “failure” if you don’t get into an Ivy League (or other highly selective school) is your parents will be failures at impressing their equally clueless friends with where you got into school.</p>
<p>Millions of very successful people have built very successful lives after graduating from state flagships and less selective LACs - and even low-selectivity schools like state “directionals” and their equivalents in other states - and even <shudder> starting at community colleges and transferring to all manner of four-year colleges two years later.</shudder></p>