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<p>Not necessarily, especially before the mid-'60s. </p>
<p>If a given underachiever is a scion from a well-connected and/or well-off enough family with the potential to donate millions at the drop of a hat, they may want to seek him/her out(a.k.a. Developmental/legacy admits). </p>
<p>One example who was an upperclassman when my Yalie uncle was a freshman was a recent ex-president well known for phrases such as “Workin’ hard to put food on your family”.</p>