<p>My husband had a similar situation, the oldest of four kids in a very middle class family. He went to SUNY Stony Brook because that was what he could afford. He went for two majors (EE & Math) plus a minor in Physics (because they don’t allow 3 majors) and graduated with a 3.95. His GPA and work experience was so good that he was accepted to into Columbia’s MBA program (which his former employer paid for) and today he is the CEO of a medium size company. It doesn’t matter where you go undergrad as long as you get into a top master’s program. Now when some pretentious person asks him where he went to school he just says Columbia. The key to his success was taking any opportunity and maximizing to the Nth degree. And now when he interviews people for top positions he looks for people who can overcome adversity because that’s what it takes to succeed in business.</p>