I can relate. I did not go to an Ivy League (though, maybe I should have at least applied). I grew up poor and outside of town. No school activities, ever. I could barely get rides to AP exams and SATs. I had a kid at 15. I would steal food from the cafeteria and sell it cheaper to other students so I could afford to eat that night. I believed my only way out of poverty was a college degree. I worked my ass off over the summers to help float me through the year and kept a 4.2 GPA in high school. Got full ride scholarship to a local university. Got married. Got an apartment. Wife worked as a waitress, I scored a job as a student graphic designer working with the university's lead graphic designer in the media department.

University for me: no activities. Ever. No traveling. Go to class. Go to work. Go home. Ace tests (mostly). Rinse, repeat for 4 years. I did not hang out with university classmates once. I could not afford to (I could hang out with childhood friends because "going out" was not in our shared vocabulary). The times spent on projects and small talk let me know how much of an outsider I was.

I managed to finally get a beat up truck (could only be pop-started, electronics only worked in a hard left hand turn, and more awesomeness) by my second year, as opposed to the new Lexuses and BMWs that many of my classmates drove.

I did miss out on something that I wish I would have been told more explicitly: university is not just about an education, it is about networking. I got zero networking done. I got the degree and got out. Because of my lack of networking, I believe my career was slower to build.

Fast forward a bit. I'm doing fantastic. My oldest kid is now starting college (we have two others), I'm still with her mom, I make over 6 figures, and I have a job I throughly enjoy (I look forward to Mondays). My degree was important for me and I think was a large part of helping me get out of poverty. I never felt that I was a part of the university I attended. I enjoy my life story and it helps me appreciate the life I lead.