That's not entirely true. There's a lot of annoying paperwork, but it was something I was able to file on my own on a shitty internet connection as a teenager

That's not entirely true. There's a lot of annoying paperwork, but it was something I was able to file on my own on a shitty internet connection as a teenager growing up in Bangladesh who with just my dad's 1040s. All of the Ivys I got into offered to cover 100% of my cost of education. If you're poor and smart, they give you a shot.