<p>One issue is that people seem to assume that the people who they think are “really really smart” are competitive for admissions at top schools. My 2120 SAT score is higher than anyone else at my school–by far. I’m probably the first high-school student in my county to have ever taken Calculus III. Finally, the students and staff are floored by my ECs. Many of these students will literally argue with me if I even imply that I’m not a shoo-in at any college in the country. </p>
<p>I didn’t apply to a single ivy-league school–and I will not be surprised in the least if I’m rejected by Duke, Northwestern, Vanderbilt, Emory, and UChicago. Except for Duke, practically no one at my school–not even many of the staff–has heard of these schools. </p>
<p>The truth is, top schools are incredibly difficult to get into. As “The Price of Admissions” puts it, “For [a student from a schools who isn’t “in the know”] to be admitted, he or she really has to walk on water.”</p>
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<p>This only applies to smart kids from privileged backgrounds. Top schools meet 100% of demonstrated need. Of course, very few kids in the middle of nowhere, from households they make 30k a year, are going to be able to compete with those at fancy metropolitan schools with parents making 200k+ a year.</p>