<p>Re post 87. No, there are plenty of blue collar and low SES kids who are well prepared, are even offered full rides and choose not to attend. The story related in the article is telling: A young woman from Oklahoma, admitted, flown to Harvard at its expenses, and decided to attend U of OKlahoma instead. Her reason was a good one: she wanted to be a housewife and she did not need to go to Harvard to achieve that goal (and probably would have greater difficulty achieving it at Harvard than on her homeground).
There are many qualified students who prefer to stay close to home for a variety of reasons. It cuts the pool down substantially.</p>