I’m a hiring manager at a big company. I’m in the STEM field so the prestige of the undergrad degree matters little to me. Instead I focus on graduate degree and research experience.
There are loads of people with ivy league degrees in my company. But some of the best? They went to local state U and kicked butt. They have the best work ethic and motivation.
Go to your midwest state school and kill it. Your job prospects won’t be limited in anyway, I can assure you.
I am a literature professor at a midwest state school (a flagship) where I’ve taught for almost 20 years. I have a Ph.D. from an Ivy. I just finished teaching a class where students were absolutely amazing and the discussion was at a high level throughout the semester. This has happened a lot during my years here, although this group was particularly good. I taught as a grad student at my Ivy, and the level of the discussion has always been as strong at the state school as it had been there. In fact, I found state school students more eager to participate, more uninhibited and less worried about impressing their peers. Writing skills could vary more, and in general, there’s obviously a greater variation of student types, backgrounds, and the level of preparation at a larger and more inclusive school, but I’ve seen many, many extremely strong and accomplished students. Don’t worry, you’ll receive a great education and will meet a lot of interesting people at your level.
College is not high school. You don’t have homeroom, no convocations, there’s no hallway full of lockers where you see everyone each day. You’ll see the folks on your floor freshman year, the faces in your classes for a semester, or those in your major more often for the later years. At a big school you just won’t come across those old faces very often, and there won’t be much pressure to be pals that you can’t get away from. There will be so many new faces and activities to explore that you won’t feel obligated to stay in that old world.
And once you immerse yourself in a major it’ll reduce the chances you’ll see them even further. But those you’re with will be more like you by virtue of a shared interest and experience and it might be OK by then. Give it a chance and you’ll be shocked at how different it can be.
This is key. You should still shoot for having an amazing time, and at a Midwest state school that is possible for almost any kind of person (whether you’re into school spirit/sports, music/arts, gaming, or any other interest). Big parties or small groups of friends. You name it, it’s there. So please go and have an amazing time. I’m going to randomly pick on a Midwest state - Nebraska - and say that reading a book like Rainbow Rowell’s Fangirl is a reminder of all the wonderfully awesome and different and interesting people there are at all of the Midwest state schools. And smart. So smart. You’ll be glad you know how to be a top student.