<p>Your post displays a troubling degree of cynicism, especially considering your age. I really hope you don’t care it with you throughout your life, as it can render intelligent people such as yourself bitter and keep society from profiting from their ideas.</p>
<p>
Schools do <em>not</em> publish these statistics, so it is often based on conjecture.</p>
<p>
The fact remains that the majority of students at these schools are <em>not</em> legacies, nor <em>URMs</em>. It is fully possible to get in through working hard and being passionate, no matter who your parents are.</p>
<p>
The book is written by a WSJ reporter. Yes, it is mostly accurate when it comes to details—but the fact remains that he has a motive: to sell papers and to sell a book. Which narrative is going to sell more? “There’s not really any secret and anybody who works hard can get into Ivies.” or “The upper class is cutting the rest of us down in unforeseen ways! Buy the book to find out how!”</p>
<p>
2300, hands down. That other kid with a 3.5 frankly has little chance of getting in. Also, remember that not all “hooks” are legacies. Others include URM, being a top athlete, doing something exceptionally rare.</p>
<p>
Yes, they need money, but there are two ways they go about getting it. The first is by, of course, appeasing alumni and attracting their checks. But a second way is simply by trying to attract tomorrow’s leaders and “best graduates” — if people have already done amazing things in high school, chances are they’ll do amazing things in their future and have the corresponding monetary rewards (some of which would, more often than not, go to their alma mater).</p>
<p>Good luck with your applications!</p>