These advantages are more subtle than even that. I was shamed by some older fellow alums when I told people that my parents had hired someone to go over my app

These advantages are more subtle than even that. I was shamed by some older fellow alums when I told people that my parents had hired someone to go over my application and essays. Their stance was that my parents gave me an unfair advantage (note, both of my parents are immigrants who did not even finish high school). My retort to them was point out that most of them didn't exactly grow up in the crime ridden rural parts of the world (quite the opposite in fact). Their parents paid a higher tax rate to support the world class public education they got, which they just assumed is the norm. That shut them up rather quickly. SAT prep classes or not, coming from a more advantageous social-economic background grants you so many benefits in many ways. My parents wouldn't have to hire someone to review my applications if my school had a good college counselor (50% of my classmates do not go on to college).