Anonymous wrote:Top-tip: "prep schools" is not synonymous with five NE boarding schools you cherry-picked to force your point.
Handsome polished rich kids flock to Duke. Unfortunate homely strivers flock to Chicago.
When a kid gets into Chicago EA/RD and then Duke or Columbia RD (or off the waitlist), they end up at Duke or Columbia. I'm sorry this triggers you, it's a fact.
Columbia and UChicago have some overlap (core, big cities, research focus) but Duke doesn't share these attributes. Again, a student simply applying to the "top 15" and choosing to attend "the best" is a fantasy construction of an ignorant observer. The vast majority of successful applicants (and their parents who pay substantial sums) know what particular attributes of a school they are seeking and what fits with their ambitions and objectives. I don't believe the cross-admit data that has been asserted here without reliable sourcing. These students are among the brightest and most accomplished and best prepared in the world - is it really believable that one might apply to a midwestern research university with a core and a reputation for intense academics, but no Greek life to speak of and no athletic program, and located in Chicago; while at the same time apply to and hope to attend a southern university with a reputation for emphasizing social life (Greek etc.), an obsession with sports culture, and a different emphasis on academics. These are apples and oranges; and it's what makes the application process so important - i.e. to match students' skills and aspirations with the institution that can b est support, develop and enhance the student. Find some real data on who applies to both and who is accepted at both - UChicago doesn't want anyone who is keen to attend Duke and the corollary is likely true as well. These institutions want students who find a unique connection between what they offer and what the student seeks - that's it.