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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The rebuttal is that prestigious colleges want successful alumni, not a bunch of scholars, per se.  Prestigious schools want leaders across the spectrum of society, not just the arcane arts of English literature and philosophy.

So, not all students at prestigious colleges are the smartest of the application pool, but they are smart enough, and when coupled with their family wealth and connections, will be successful in life. While some may not like that, that very alumni may be the one that hires or mentors your super-intelligent, middle-class kid.

This is nothing new, and it’s fine. The only people that find this shocking are those who come from environments where the schools they attend are based strictly on a test score. But, that too seems like a very narrow definition of merit, as we can talk all day about who has the wealth to prepare a kid for a specific exam. [/quote]

So you admit wealth is the driver, not natural ability. [/quote]

Not exactly. Wealthy people are not dumb, but they may not be the smartest - they are oftentimes smart enough. That said, when you combine their smarts, wealth, and connections, they are frequently successful, which schools and their future students value. Of course, one can come from wealth and be a genius too - they’re not mutually exclusive. [/quote]

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