Anonymous
Post 05/20/2026 16:40     Subject: Re:Tell me your adult child’s success story if
I have a son who went to an Ivy and he is a successful doctor. I have a daughter when went to a state school in Ohio and is doing incredibly well in the social media world. Academically my son was off the charts smart and my daughter was an average student. But she is very career oriented, ambitious and over time really figured out her strengths and weaknesses. I’m proud of both of them but she is the one that has been the big surprise. She is also the mother of three so she is one busy young woman.
Anonymous
Post 05/19/2026 11:00     Subject: Tell me your adult child’s success story if
Daughter couldn't get a job after college and worked for the school as an assistant in various labs and got picked up for a PhD by one of the professors running a lab.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 13:18     Subject: Tell me your adult child’s success story if
My most financially successful relative is a CEO, owns four houses, went to Ohio State and just barely graduated.

DH and I both went to regional public Us and have had solid careers in our fields.

I know a boy who turned down MIT for financial reasons, ended up at Arizona State and is now in one of the top global PhD programs for his field.

DS is only a year out of Virginia Tech but, in a time when lots of new grads are struggling, he's got a job he loves, making good money, planning for grad school (which company will pay for) in a couple years.

A friend's daughter just graduated from a CTCL and is off to Yale for grad school.
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 12:19     Subject: Tell me your adult child’s success story if
My kis is just headed to college, but the most successful people I personally know (as in I could write them tomorrow and ask them a question and they'd respond) are, in order of success, undergrad alums of Harvard, Indiana, Wash U, and Mary Washington University. Each one is self-made, and could probably quit tomorrow and be rich (but are all working hard).
Anonymous
Post 05/18/2026 12:11     Subject: Tell me your adult child’s success story if
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Please tell me your adult child’s success story if they didn’t go to Ivy or Ivy+ college. In need of perspective from more experienced parents here. I am mom of HS junior and DC’s friends (from school, family , sports etc) who are seniors are all heading to Ivy and Ivy+ colleges. The obsession with prestige is real in this area. All these kids and their parents are so impressed with themselves. My DC is worried they won’t get into this type of school and they will be ‘the loser’ of the bunch despite my efforts to tell them that isn’t how it works. But it is getting to me too and I am becoming more anxious than I want to be. These parents constantly make comments when I mention schools my child hopes to get into with ‘oh that was my DC’s safety school - no one goes there unless they have to’. Sigh.


Not going to lie about advantages of attending top colleges but that being said, if you don't get in or can't afford the cost, you can also use advantages of being big fish in a small pool and then go for grad or professional degree from top colleges or top programs at average colleges. Just do well in academics, find good internships, avail research opportunities and enjoy extracurriculars to make the most of whichever school you go to. Life is a marathon not a sprint.


This. I went to a top 5 law school. There were more kids with great GPAs at directional state university than the Ivy League. If grad school is the goal, doing well in undergrad is way more important than where you went.