"Prestigious" private schools and college placement of NON-LEGACY students

[Anonymous]

I am not saying they are making it up, but on the other hand, clearly there are kids with no connections attending both the local independent schools as well as the prestigious colleges with nary any connection.

Sure, being a legacy helps, but it is not the end-all be-all.

[Anonymous]

Yup, I agree. I think what we're talking about here are the odds, and how they improve if you have factor X....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's the latter. But the US is still far more meritocratic than most countries.

I am curiuos, what other countries are you referring to?
I know Oxford and Cambridge in the UK do not look at legacy status. Neither do european universities.