<p>So despite his low SES he was still afforded a top of the line high school education giving him an advantage that many students of a higher SES do not have access to. I had never even heard the term “IB” before discovering cc, and even AP courses are few and far between at our school. I would consider our family middle class and my children have no hard luck stories to tell…unless you consider that they simply do not have access to a competitive hs experience–it just doesn’t exist in our area and it is not something I can simply “buy” them, nor can upper income parents in this area. It is just not available no matter what the SES. So where is the great equalizer for us? Ivy league applications are considered frivolous by the guidance department here because acceptances just don’t happen. The application fee truly is like buying a lottery ticket.</p>