Looking back on my first days at Yale, I remember being surprised by the number of people who were accepted, but weren't necessarily geniuses or prodigies. Of course, everyone is extremely intelligent, but after becoming familiar with the student body, it became clear that there are a few things that can help substantially. Here are some major ones:

Legacy

Legacies don't have as much pull as they used to, but they are still accepted at a much higher rate than the general applicant pool. Consider that at Ivy League schools, the highest governing bodies are institutions that are composed of and elected by alumni. They clearly have the power and they want, not unreasonably I think, their children to go to elite schools.

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