I tend to agree. But I also think that people who are cunning enough to beat the system are then usually good enough to perform at a job as well provided the ri

I tend to agree. But I also think that people who are cunning enough to beat the system are then usually good enough to perform at a job as well provided the right kind of carrot is being shown. A very similar stinking system exists in India where a future of a kid is sort of nailed right after high school. But invariably the guys who crack the engineering entrance were cracking the civil service exam at the end of their graduation. Funny thing is that now a management course is values better than civil services, so again best of our engineers (in terms of resume) are sweeping the top MBA seats. So probably though it is some cram exam or something similar but it seems to get you some intelligent people who are capable of chasing anything. But that's true only for the top layer. Average ivy league student is mobbed big time in the industry by smart kids from unknown colleges. At least half the programmers I admire come from useless colleges.