<p>That’s ridiculous. If I had to rank the Ivies by “prestige” (which is a terrible reason to apply to a school, by the way), it’s probably Harvard, Yale/Princeton, Columbia/Dartmouth, Brown, UPenn, Cornell. What really matters most for job placement, though, is the internships you pursue and the connections you make with potential employers during college. You can go to Harvard and fail to have a job; you can go to Washington University and get a great job out of college. So don’t worry.</p>
<p>As far as the legacy status, perhaps you would have had a better shot at Columbia since you’re a double-legacy, but it’s irrelevant since you got into Dartmouth early decision! And for all we know, you could’ve chosen to apply to Columbia and (like tons of amazing candidates, just look at the Columbia ED Decisions thread) been deferred or even denied! Finally, if you don’t like the Core, you probably would not be happy at Columbia. You spend nearly half your college career in Core classes, so loving the Core is almost a prerequisite for loving Columbia. Don’t worry, Dartmouth is an amazing school and a very tough one to get into. I have a few friends who got in and many who were deferred. You were a competitive candidate and the school has confidence you’ll be successful. You should be happy, not regretful.</p>