this may be a little long, and pretty vague, but i’ll do my best.
long story short? i regret my college choice.
here’s the whole story. i’m just referring to them as college A and college B.
basically, for about 2 years now, i really wanted to go to a school called college A. it’s about 6 hours away via car. everyone i’ve ever met is absolutely obsessed with this school. both current students and alumni. school spirit runs deep. i knew i’d get into the school as well. not to brag, but i was well above their academic standards. their average SAT/GPA is 1270 and 3.5, i had a 1350 and a 3.8
meanwhile, i decided to apply to one reach school, college B. their average SAT/GPA was a 1400 and 3.7, and i managed to get in. we decided to tour the school. it was a 2 hour plane ride, and an additional 1 hour drive to the school from the airport. the school is ranked in the top 10 public colleges in the USA.
i loved the school, i really did. but i couldn’t make myself feel like it was a home away from home. however, i knew it was a better choice if i was looking at it career-wise. however, i decided to follow my heart and go where i think i’d be more happy, and chose college A. but now, i’m scared i’ll regret it.
i tried to convince myself i made a smart choice financially, because i got $15k of tuition taken off from college A, so i’m only paying $25k, whereas i’d be paying 45k for college B, but i know that that’s an excuse, since my parents had the money to send me wherever i wanted without any financial aid/student loans. the school is nationally recognized, but college A only holds a regional recognition. so, people on the east coast (where i’m from) know and respect the school, but if i were to leave the east coast, it may not be as well known as college B, where you can find alumni just about anywhere.
college A isn’t a bad school. it’s a respected school, but college B makes people go “wow, really?” because it’s a really hard school to get into. i made my bed and i should lie in it, but i’m terrified i made the wrong decision, and i can’t bring myself to be that excited, because i’m worried that i’ll hate my time there and that i would’ve been better off at college B. i still love College A with all my heart, but i can’t help but notice that i’m getting really anxious about whether or not I made the right decision.
Enjoy College A. Then attend a school like College B for your masters. It’s the last school that counts.
Also while at College A with significant savings plan for amazin study abroad opportunities. Or National Student Exchange.
“I still love college A with all my heart.” There is your answer. You’re fine. You are getting nervous… period. Your mind is wandering. Try to relax and don’t forget most likely you will go to graduate school. This is stop #1. It will be great! Enjoy!
As I was reading this post, I thought the OP had chosen B but wanted to go to A. A sounds like a good choice for you, OP! Have you been able to pick your classes yet at school A?
@CRiverMac You could just be worried about college in general and end up realizing later that you made the right choice. Wait 1 year and if in 1 year you are not satisfied with College A, then think about whether you can transfer to College B.
Stick with college A and don’t look back. You’ll love it, it feels like home, you’ll excel.
If you chose college B, you would be having regrets about college A, kicking yourself for choosing B just on prestige alone, and imagining how much you won’t feel at home there, and predicting how miserable you’ll be and thinking, “Why oh why didn’t I just go with my gut and choose college A?”
It cuts both ways. You could make yourself miserable with either choice by constantly expressing buyer’s remorse.
You said you “followed your heart” and picked A, which is well-respected and which you have an affinity for. That says a lot. You won’t hate your time there. Really, you won’t - I promise. Usually your gut read is telling you something. Listen to it. My sense is you’ll have an amazing experience at college A.
It’s more likely that the college you pick against your gut, mainly for prestige, becomes the one that you end up regretting.
Now if you want us to have some fun and totally drive yourself crazy, let us know the names of College A and College B and I promise your thread will explode with advice and you won’t get good night’s sleep for weeks . ;-). Seriously, don’t tell us. DON’T TELL US!
Be grateful that you get to go to great school you love and feel at home in. Like others have said, distinguish yourself at college A, have fun, make life-long friends and go forth and conquer the world with your excellent education and the help of the loyal, zealous alumni you speak of. If you need insane prestige, go to grad school to fine tune your specialization.
And why not see if you can get into the honors program at college A? So you’ll get an added layer of prestige. 
Seriously, you clearly made the right choice: the right fit for te right price. And with the savings, you’ll be able to study abroad for a semester, take a semester away somewhere in the US, have any internship in any city…