Chip on Shoulder - Anyone else?

I always had insecurities about my school / internships coming from a non-target background and getting MM roles. It took me a long time to get past them but my best advice is to use the insecurities to fuel your work and eventually you’ll break through to the big (for me it was BB) role. Now with pedigreed experience and a FT offer I’ve found a lot more humility and feel I have nothing left to prove. Almost can’t believe how unbearable I probably was before reaching this point / overcoming insecurities. Hopefully things pan out for you soon and you can reach that “self-actualization” level where you lose the chip. Better late than never.

Ah yes, Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Saint Mary’s College

Don't worry, you can always just go to an Ivy grad school like HBS. 

Grass is always greener, my friend. It may surprise you but many "target" kids I know were envious of kids who went to schools like Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Dartmouth, UNC, IU, BC, Brown, USC etc.

At places like that, you have better party scenes, prettier girls, way less stress and homework, less competition, and lower rates of Depression. But, you still get very solid exit opps, and an overall solid education. 

I am assuming you are/were capable of going to a better school but took your current offer at Georgetown/vandy because of the scholarship. I was in a similar situation. My family was in the middle class category so they didn’t meet the financial aid requirements at big schools but also didn’t have the money to pay for it. I was fortunate to get a full-ride at a non-target (it was probably 2-3 tiers below vandy and Georgetown) and I accepted it since I disliked the idea of taking thousands of dollars of debt as an international student. The thing is that I used that scholarship to my advantage. There weren’t many with that scholarship and it helped me stand out for all the on-campus programs and the alumni noticed it etc. basically, I was able to be the big fish in a small pond instead of being just a small guy in a big pond at the top schools where I know for a fact there would be people with a better background, experience etc. if I were you, I would also take advantage of what you have instead of what could have been. Many times when we look at the other side we forget to look at the negatives while we concentrate on the positives.

Hey, I can sympathize with how you feel and have the added benefit of being about 4 years into my career. It was my dream to attend an Ivy (Dartmouth was my #1) but didn't get in anywhere. I ended up going to a Top 50 public school (with a partial scholarship) that most people don't care about and who only place 3-5 people in IB or MBB each year. 

It isn't just going to go away easily. I know because I recruited for MBB and got second rounds at both, but ultimately didn't get the offer. I took a pretty good paying job but at a company not known for top talent. 

The only thing you can do is to heads-down keep pushing yourself to get better and try not to play the comparison game. Get the best grades you possibly can, talk with as many people as you can in the industry, lead clubs, etc. It'll be tough but you're likely to come out of it really knowing the value of working hard when things aren't handed to you. 

I'm about to enroll in a top business school this fall and still have a chip on my shoulder; I'd be lying to you if I said it magically vanished when I was accepted. That being said, I'm starting to feel much more confident in who I am as a person and my ability to get from point A to point B no matter what it takes. 

My suggestion would be to try to transfer once more if you want, but otherwise focus on what really matters at school: getting good grades, networking, internships, and having fun. In five years it won't matter too much as long as you can get a solid enough job coming out of school (which you should be able to at the school you're at). It won't be easy but you'll come out a better person. 

Do you have friends at GT or Vandy? Sounds like you have not been able to fit in socially if you are putting down the entire student body. Maybe you should talk to more of your classmates and make some connections. 

The differences in the student body from (GT & Vandy) are almost identical in terms of raw intelligence and ability to that of the Ivies. Maybe a .05 difference in high school GPA if that.   

Just make the best of your experience wherever you are. It is not worth ruining your college experience thinking about what could have been.  

Be proud of where you are and where you are going. Approach life with a growth mindset.

Do not feel put down when you get rejected by H/S these schools only accept like 5-6 transfer students a year and they are typically kids who have extremely special circumstances. Ex: they get accepted to Stanford, but initially reject the offer to continue their research project they started in high school with their local university. They then apply to transfer and then accept the offer.