<p>In a "classless" society, the Ivy degree substitutes for traditional class markers like wealth, family or land ownership. A plausible explanation for the Ivy frenzy in college admission. The discussion of the results of an Ivy education at the end of the article is pretty good too.</p>
<p>Interesting. </p>
<p>"There may be another reason Americans are skeptical about the idea that the best rise to the top: those at the top haven’t performed too well lately." </p>
<p>Thanks for sharing the link.</p>
<p>I loved that line too!</p>
<p>I can't see the article without logging in. Annoying, as I usually can't remember my NYT login so I stay logged in and the computer should remember me.</p>
<p>I would say someone who was short on merit but used his/her privileged position to get into say, Yale, and made it out by the skin of his/her teeth, then got all his/her other jobs also using connections...has long ago reached his/her level of incompetence.</p>
<p>This makes me feel bad about going to Yale.. </p>
<p>Even I am turned off by "elitism" but when i visited my future school it didn't feel elite at all (I guess I'll see what it's really like). </p>
<p>This was an interesting article, though.</p>