Jahn hit it pretty much on the nose. It really doesn't matter what college you go to, and it's been imbedded into our heads that if you go to one of the eight IVY's that you're bound for success (especially if you got some pushy asian parents). I'm still in college and one of a few Head-Fi'ers who go to Northwestern University, which I'd put up there with the IVY's in terms of quality of education, rigor (maybe more than some of them, yikes!), and reputation.
I know a bunch of people who went to IVY League schools and actually don't have jobs right now. People think that once they go, because they are in such a top notch school, that they don't have to study and that things will come to them. I'm not saying that everyone is like that, but there are always those kids at any university that you go to. I know kids who graduated from community colleges who are extremely successful, they own businesses, are lawyers or doctors, or are successful investment bankers or consultants.
Sure, the college that you go to will definitely help you when it comes to recruiting for full-entry positions or internships, but that's not everything in life. I don't know if I can help you with what types of grades you need, standardized test scores, or activities. There's actually no magic formula to it, and a lot of it deals with luck, unless your parents can give a nice, hefty sum of money to your dream school.
It's getting harder and harder these days though to get into top notch schools. People are starting to understand that getting a really good education can be beneficial in their later years. I'm not even sure if I could get into Northwestern now with the competition these days. There's always record numbers of applicants, the standardized test score averages go up, and the kids seem smarter and more motivated than the rest of us. It's tough to say, but hang in there, everything will work out for the best. Just keep up the hard work.
EDIT - Hey jjcha, congratz on getting into NYU Law and HLS. NYU grad schools are amazing, I don't think you could go wrong with either one!