Yeah so the article isn't about the general comparative application strength of rich vs poor, it's about whether a wealthy advantage exists when controlled for

Yeah so the article isn't about the general comparative application strength of rich vs poor, it's about whether a wealthy advantage exists when controlled for other factors. A meritocratic admission process should not consider family wealth, but these data show that it does. That line chart should, theoretically, be a straight horizontal line; instead we see strong effects of wealth. The Economist once said that a dumb rich kid has a better chance at going to an elite college than a brilliant poor one, and that seems to be the case here.