I feel like if you get into a top tier school you are just set for life but I could also be projecting because I was a very weak student and did not go to a strong school and have struggled to find employment since

>>82215318 (OP)
well if you get into a top tier school doing some shitty degree its still pretty worthless. Not getting into a top tier one can disadvantage you a bit on certain prospects but you can still grind yourself up with grit. Unless you're trying to aim for insanely prestigious finance firms that only hire from harvard or something.

>>82215373
>unless you are aiming for prestigious finance firms
Yes :(

That said I really do feel like even if you get a shitty degree you are set for life with an undergrad from a really strong school

Life is determined by the amount of money your family already has.
With the knoledge I have, I could be travelling across the globe, making good fucking money. But I have 0 help from anybody. If I get fired from my ok job, I have to search for a dead end job tomorrow to be able to pay the bills. Shit is absolutely rigged.
I remember being 16 and seeing this girl's facebook. She had pictures of skiing in switzerland. I will absolutely never know what that's like. She propable never have to work a day in her life. These people will never know what absolute misery and dispair is like

>>82215318 (OP)
>>82215373
>>82216043
This is putting the cart before the horse: elites go into elite colleges because they have elite families that already know elite families. A poor normalfag getting a scholarship to go to an elite university will likely just become a drone for an elite nepo baby. "Meritocracy" is mostly a meme designed to keep plebs in line.