We all know successful people who didn't go to college or went to some middle of the road school or community college. That has nothing to do with it. What is good or works for one person may not work for another.
Listen, I agree with you, be the best you can be, have fun and make the most of every day, no matter where you are....100%. I disagree about going to a school because it has the best lacrosse program.....there is no pot of gold at the end ...MLL is not the NFL, and it does not always work out. In some cases you go, get pushed into a major you are not interested in as you can't do the major you want based on the lax schedule and you graduate with either a non marketable degree or in a field you have no interest in and end up working at lacrosse unlimited selling gear to snot-nose kids.
The bottom line is you need to find a school where your kid will be the most successful - academically, socially and if playing lacrosse, athletically. Problem with this whole early commit BS is that most of these kids have no idea what they want to do or how well they will do in a particular school - because they are only in 8th or 9th grade!! And their parents are no help. Most (not all) will push these kids as they are more interested in bragging to their co-workings at their crappy job than what is best for their kid long term. It's about knowing your kid...his interests and what he needs to be successful.
If your kid is in the top percentile of his HS class and you know he will succeed at an IVY or baby IVY, and you have the bucks to send him...then great, let him go. Graduating from an Ivy doesn't automatically guarantee success. But your earning potential and chances for future success is much greater than if you graduated from a Maryland, Penn State or some other big box brand. That is not an opinion....those are facts based on post graduate statistics. (BTW the Kevin Plank type stories are far and few between, and there are not one of those for every IVY grad who gets handed a job) That is also a fact!
A friends son is playing at an IVY. He has a few teammates and other friends at school that come from successful families. One is the CEO of a major company, a couple are MDs at investment banks and one is a partner of a huge law firm. The network you will create and the alumni network, plus the alumni who were lacrosse players and like to hire lacrosse players gives you a major advantage. And with competition being what it is today...having an edge helps!!