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If you're trying to be MIT or CalTech, that's absolutely true. If you're trying to be the Ivy League...maybe not. I recently heard an explanation saying that l

If you're trying to be MIT or CalTech, that's absolutely true. If you're trying to be the Ivy League...maybe not. I recently heard an explanation saying that legacies/"special admissions" are not the customer in this situation. They are part of the product. At Harvard, some percentage of your undergrad class were literally born into more money than you will ever make in your hypersuccessful career. The chance for making connections with such people is why many hypersuccessful/hypermotivated people choose the Ivy League over more meritocratic institutions. I'm not 100% sure I buy it, but it's an interesting perspective.

Paul-Craft 3y ago
You're right, but probably not for the reason you think you are. Harvard is not your typical university. It's more of a hedge fund with a school attached to it. So is the rest of the Ivy League. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_the_United_States_by_endowment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universit...
KerrAvon 3y ago
Making connections is maybe the single most important thing you will do at college. The faculty, the other students, and the alumni network, are part of those connections. However, this sounds a little like a post hoc rationalization from a legacy person, tbh.
reducesuffering 3y ago
This is actually what's going on. Ivy's are an intelligence signal laundering operation. Attract 80% super smarts, throw in 20% rich upper class, now people think your average rich upper class kids are "super smart," for their later career. It's why there's such a skewed financial aid. And it's why there's no prestigious rich-kid-only school, because it's obvious the academics aren't very good and that's not what is desired to be seen like.
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- ghaff 3y ago
  >And it's why there's no prestigious rich-kid-only school, because it's obvious the academics aren't very good and that's not what is desired to be seen like. Some smaller liberal arts schools in New England probably come closest to qualify. But if you've heard of the school that probably means it's large and diverse enough that isn't really an accurate description.

Paul-Craft 3y ago

You're right, but probably not for the reason you think you are. Harvard is not your typical university. It's more of a hedge fund with a school attached to it. So is the rest of the Ivy League. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universities_in_the_United_States_by_endowment https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_colleges_and_universit...

KerrAvon 3y ago

Making connections is maybe the single most important thing you will do at college. The faculty, the other students, and the alumni network, are part of those connections. However, this sounds a little like a post hoc rationalization from a legacy person, tbh.

reducesuffering 3y ago

This is actually what's going on. Ivy's are an intelligence signal laundering operation. Attract 80% super smarts, throw in 20% rich upper class, now people think your average rich upper class kids are "super smart," for their later career. It's why there's such a skewed financial aid. And it's why there's no prestigious rich-kid-only school, because it's obvious the academics aren't very good and that's not what is desired to be seen like.

deleted 3y ago
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ghaff 3y ago
>And it's why there's no prestigious rich-kid-only school, because it's obvious the academics aren't very good and that's not what is desired to be seen like. Some smaller liberal arts schools in New England probably come closest to qualify. But if you've heard of the school that probably means it's large and diverse enough that isn't really an accurate description.