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"I’m excited to see that what mattered way more than pedigree was the actions people took to better themselves."

so a degree from a top school is not earned (nor are admissions i guess), but rather conferred at birth? i beg to differ.

the commentary on the "disutility" masters degrees is even worse.

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I don't think it's entirely that black and white. If an undergraduate degree from a tier 1 school didn't cost approx. a quarter of a million dollars, along with the fact that your "peers" with rich parents will have attended a private school + tutoring + usually had a decent home-life; these things stack up, you can't claim it's a level playing field. Of course you need to be smart to get there in the first place (in most cases). But it's a far cry from a pure meritocracy.

you've described a range and complex combination. the author of the piece stated -- almost word for word -- that degrees from top schools are not earned.