>So how can you have both the scions of the rich and powerful go there AND admit people based on merit? If you wanted to design a system such that the families

>So how can you have both the scions of the rich and powerful go there AND admit people based on merit? If you wanted to design a system such that the families in charge of the country will always be in charge, you probably couldn't do better than the Ivies. You have the rich and powerful mingling with (and marrying) the smartest people in the country. I'm not ready to believe it's all deliberate, but that's how things play out.