In India they seem to make a huge difference. Friends and relatives who went to "IIT Preparation Courses" (6-12 months, at a boarding school, for getting into o

In India they seem to make a huge difference. Friends and relatives who went to "IIT Preparation Courses" (6-12 months, at a boarding school, for getting into one of the IITs, the top technical colleges in the country) usually did vastly superior to others (of similar ability) who did not.