<p>Not manufacturing, just wondering. Still, no one has said the OP was wrong. College is about chances, growth, and fairness. And, no it is not necessarily the way it works. "They must work for them..." That implies that no one else works to get the same positions but doesn;t get them.</p>
<p>The point the OP is making that for the total number of very qualified, outstanding, driven students at Duke, why are so many positions held by the few in a particular program? It does smell of elitism no matter how you look at it.</p>