It's okay to be sad, but chin up... undergraduate degrees really don't mean as much as they used to. Grad school and beyond are really where the prestige is now. Undergrad degrees (especially privates) are money-sucking machines unless students are offered huge scholarships or aid. It's just the education system has brainwashed students to focus so much on prestige and "top college" rankings. Go to a respectable in-state that you can graduate with minimal to zero debt, work while in college, start investing as much of that money as you can while young (start at 18!). A less competitive college will be a lot easier for you to get better grades. You'll have more time to prep for grad school entrance exams & pursue hobbies/interests/jobs instead of busting your behind to beat the curve. Remember at T20 schools, you're competing with the top echelon of US/international students. Less competitive schools have a wider mix, which means more opportunities for you to stand out while there. I've worked with over 2,000 high school students over the past 20 years as an educational consultant (college admissions coach). Trust me, you will be fine. And like I said before, having parents who save adequately for a retirement & having minimal student debt are HUGE blessings. And if you start investing young, and get into the habit of investing, you won't care where you went to undergrad in 25 years because you made your money work for you instead of throwing it to some T25 institution because of prestige. You sound very ambitious and intelligent. The truly intelligent choice is to do what will be best for you and your family in the long-term.