A healthy life goal that involves an Ivy would be "getting in to Harvard so I can study X, because Harvard's X department offers what I need for my career."
There is almost nothing taught at the most prestigious schools that is not taught elsewhere, but some employers continue to filter their job applicant pool based on the school attended. Going even further, I wonder if my eldest son could teach himself enough computer science and math on his own to be a good programmer or quantitative analyst. But employers in those areas are still looking for college graduates, so he will attend college.
