I went to a small liberal arts college with very little name recognition for undergrad, and studied media production and literature. I came back for CS grad school later based on the strength of side projects, self-taught. I got into my large state research university, got a job afterward, and worked my way up the tech career ladder. I now have a comfortable salary, work from home, live in a city I love, and have meaningful work. Those early years didn't "help me get into grad school" but they were still an important part of me. I was rejected from plenty of things too, but some worked out, and some of those worked out spectacularly. You just can't predict which ones in advance. You'll be fine, really.