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<p>I think it would be wise, ccdaddio, to remember that the vast majority of kids who are still studying for the SAT aren’t doing so because visions of Harvard and other elite schools are dancing through their heads. Sure, some are doing so to raise their 750’s to 800’s … and some are doing so to raise their 550’s to 600’s. I think you <em>are</em> betraying some cultural bias on your part to presuppose that the vast majority of students in the US even <em>think</em> about elite colleges or have them on their radar screen or have an overwhelming desire to get in. It just doesn’t work that way. Because American students can look around them and see that an elite college is a nice thing, but it’s not some ticket that needs to be punched to have a fairly nice life. There are subgroups in the US for which that is a concern, but not the average American student, who couldn’t name the Ivy League schools if you held a gun to his head (nor could his parents).</p>