Reply to Why is it so hard to accept that the students at better colleges are simply better students?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]The posters disputing OP’s thesis are not really addressing it. Instead, they’re mentioning one-off cases of smart kids at lower-ranked schools or someone who chose a lower-ranked school for merit aid. But, the biggest fallacy is to confuse OP’s best ACADEMIC student with the most MATERIALLY SUCCESSFUL student.  Posters seem to revel in the notion that kids attending lower-ranked schools might someday “own” the smarter kids. Maybe some will, but, again, that’s a different argument. [/quote]

Smart kids at lower ranked schools are not a one-off. That is the point of the dispute. Acceptance rates at the 40 or so top ranked schools are very low, and they take a lot of kids who aren't top students (no disputing this). Many more qualified students apply than are accepted. All of those tens of thousands of academically qualified kids who didn't win the lottery have to go somewhere. Also, no one applies to all 20 top schools or all 40 top schools. They try one or two in the top 20, 3 or 4 in the top 40, and then also apply to lower raked schools with higher acceptance rates so they get in somewhere. So most qualified kids do not get into the one or two top 20 schools they try, and all of them go somewhere lower ranked. So those lower ranked schools have lots and lots of kids who are just as academically qualified at the kids who did get the nod.[/quote]

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