<p>"From Sybbie's statistics, it appears that blacks are admitted at a high rate yet have a far lower than average yield for ivy colleges. Are these institutions fighting over the same relative handful of kids?"</p>
<p>There is that, but there is also a substantial number of African-American students who choose historic black colleges (Morehouse, Spelman, etc.) over the Ivies. The opportunities offered to them there are often very large, rivaling those at Ivies, there is much, much less drinking (if that is a concern), and there is a very heavy emphasis on undergraduate teaching and mentoring.</p>