I agree with you that it helps to have some strong structural underpinnings in order to be in contention. That’s true of any popularity contest. For example, it certainly helps for a university to be in close proximity to a metropolitan center. In Wesleyan’s case, it is almost exactly half-way between New York City and Boston; it appeals to both New England prep school kids as well as Bronx High School of Science and Fordham Prep kids. Add the California entertainment industry to the mix and you don’t need to resort to a lot of mind-reading. 