Growing up in a middle-class family, I never seriously considered attending an Ivy League school—and to be honest, I’m not even sure I would’ve been admitted if I had tried. Today, as a physician and a father of four kids ranging from ages 3-13, my wife and I are just beginning to think about college. I tend to encourage our kids to follow in our footsteps by attending our public university—or, depending on their interests and strengths, to consider a trade. But practicing medicine and being surrounded by other high-income professionals, I’ve already felt the cultural pull to push my kids to excel. In many of these circles, the pinnacle of achievement is having your child get into an Ivy League college and eventually land a prestigious, high-paying job. That cultural pressure, combined with my own internal drive to see my kids succeed, has made me pause and reflect. In an effort to be intentional and thoughtful about the path we choose, I decided to dig into the data and share what I found.…