From your post: “And stew about this BiffBrown, did you also know that friends call each other regarding getting their kids into that school and vice versa? Yep, happens all the time. I went to (X) and your kid wants to go there so you call me. My kid wants to go to Y so I call you. How are you going to deal with that?”
This makes my point. Unqualified applicants shouldn’t be admitted to elite schools because their parents are well-connected.