Stanford and Harvard do have higher admissions standards, though they also take legacy status and donations into account, which might be what staunch is referri

Stanford and Harvard do have higher admissions standards, though they also take legacy status and donations into account, which might be what staunch is referring to. However, they also practice affirmative action, which means some VCs who have a bias towards these institutions may consider minorities who they never otherwise would. So it's not nearly as unfair as staunch is describing.