Wait, What? Did Anyone EVER Believe Elite Education Was A Meritocracy?

Nobody is really that fucking stupid, are they?

Anyway, I understand that many local public high school students and families get no decent advice about colleges, financial aid, applications, admissions, and whatnot.  It's true.  It sucks, but it's true.  I get it, atmo.

On the other hand, once you get into the game, anywhere, you have to see right away that meritocracy is total horseshit.  I mean, come on.  Jesus.  That's why it is so important to take any opportunities to get into an elite education if you are not some disgusting rich asshole.  Get financial aid to go to Exeter or St. Paul's?  Scholarship type deal to Miss Porter's or Mercersburg or Peddie?  Fucking go!  Don't worry about not having money.  And don't take that elite boarding school as a lock for Harvard or Yale, but use the facilities and get the most out of your education and experience and take that rare benefit to the next level.  Went to local public high school and can get into a liberal arts college or state school?  Go to the LAC!  Who cares if nobody in your town has heard of it.  Nobody knows what Williams is either, and Williams is better than Harvard!  Or Yale.  Or anywhere.  And that other LAC is probably pretty good, too.

Don't worry so much about the meritocracy not existing, but deal with reality and keep angling for the chance to break into that elusive elite education--knowing full well it is no way a meritocracy.  That undergrad at Colby or Trinity is a pretty big fucking deal, and it might help you into some doctoral program better than a generic state school if that's your goal.

Or work your ass off, get great grades anywhere, and figure out a way to get a 43 on the (old) MCATs and make sure your MD has a PhD after it.  You'll never be without a better than decent job unless you are literal felon.

The truth is, elite schools are a meritocracy for a very few applicants.  If elite college has a class of 500, those merit applicants will be competing for only perhaps 50 spots.  The rest of the freshmen class will be filled by the properly deserving elite applicants with elite families and elite fortunes and by the elite athletes from those same families.  The same with the elite boarding schools.  Usually 80% of the class is made up of full-pays.  Add to that the fact that a bulk of the financial aid goes to families in the 2%-19% of all incomes--that's the upper class.  Yep, the biggest chunk of the financial aid bucks at boarding schools goes to the upper class.  So if you are one of those deserving smart, hard working middle- or lower-class kids, you are competing for way less than 10% of all admission spots.  That's racing.

Play the game, for sure, but never think for a fucking second that your education is in any way a meritocracy.  That would be fucking stupid.