When a celeb goes to a prestigious university like Harvard, does this mean they are very capable and smart?

For example, Hillary and Haylie Duff. Did they get in due to their brains or talent or money?





Can anyone get in as long as they are rich enough?

When a celeb goes to a prestigious university like Harvard, does this mean they are very capable and smart?
I think that at any college you have to have money, tuition isn't free, and since they can afford it, why can't they get a better education? I don't think it's because they are famous, I think that Hillary is very bright also and that she could hold her own. Haylie I don't really care too much about...well...I don't really like Hillary either but I know a little bit more about Hillary...so..umm..well... I think that as long as a person has tuition money for what ever college you are going to you can get in, and you also have to have a high school diploma and good grades are also a plus. Now if Paris Hilton got into Harvard, then I would rethink what I just stated and go and protest like all hell lmfao Paris is an idiot to me, and she will always be. But...that's for anouther post.
Reply:i am pretty sure they will get in as long as they can pay the tution if you are not as smart it will probably cost more to attend the colleges. The money helps the college also so they will get treated differently if their parents may alot of money bc they will not want to loose them as students bc then the money will stop comming.
Reply:I think I can help a bit here. At my alma mater, my class valedictorian (a personal friend) is now the registrar, and we recently went through the process of my son's application (my school was one of seven, but it gave me the best insight).





The elite schools are looking for well-rounded individuals in a variety of ways. They need enough full-tuition students (the rich ones) to help subsidize the ones who need financial aid. Note, however, that even those paying full tuition are not paying their own ways: alumni contributions, endowments, grants, and other program support provide about 2/3 of the cost. If that "silver spoon" kid down the hall is shelling out $30k per year, the actual cost of education at the institution is likely pushing $100,000 per head.





They're also looking for people with all sorts of skills, backgrounds, and abilities. If they nab a large clutch of math whizzes in the early-decision period, the regular application span will see them taking more in the arts and humanities.





Again, this is all a massive balancing act. The admissions staff gets headaches for six months of the year, sweating over the applications, discussing what they've seen, and trading a few interesting cases back and forth for classification and decision. What about the homeschooler who nailed 800 math, 780 verbal, led her Destination Imagination team to a regional title, but doesn't seem to understand the concept of a paragraph? She plans to major in photographic chemistry.





Money has influence: it widens the categories into which you can be placed. Fame had influence: it brings a personal viewpoint that very few people get. Imagine having Jodie Foster as your roommate for two years -- what would you learn from her late at night? What experiences does she bring to lieterature class? She's *lived* some of the classic periods, keeping a character in the mid 19th century for a six-month shooting schedule.





I got in on pretty much raw test scores. Fortunately, my school doesn't keep it to the best SATs. My dorm unit included two guys from the "wrong side of the tracks", a football player, the son of a lingerie designer, a stereotypical city kid with a lot of potential and lousy English skills, and so on. We were the "leftovers" unit, and it was one fo the best experiences of my life. It turned into one of the most creative areas of campus, due to the wide range of backgrounds and the level of acceptance we built from day one.





I learned as much from them (perhaps more) than from my profs (who put the school in "40 Colleges that Change Lives"). Every year, the process centers on the admissions department. It's almost like the annual draft for a sports team: we need some of everything. If we have a weakness, we need to fill it. Oh, yeah -- we need a free agent to bring in more money, too. Grab the tall kid from Nebraska; he needs training, but the attitude is great, and he volunteers in the community.





Money talks. So does talent ... and fame ... and being yourself. You don't even have to be a leader: every leader needs followers with organizational skills, one-on-one understanding, and loyalty. FInd your niche, tell them who you are, and have a back-up plan. My son didn't get into his first choice, but he wouldn't trade his current situation if that first-choice school now offered him a full scholarship.
Reply:money speaks! even if you are the dumbest student in the class and you are famous and rich or your parents is. then you are guaranteed admission. as long you have the money and famous face then pack your books and welcome to the class! because you have just be admitted to the school.
Reply:I say money!!! and fame!!! It is free publicity for the school. None of those kids have BRAINS!!!!
Reply:I don't care how much money you have ... you can't get into a school like Harvard unless you are at least slightly intelligent/qualified. Think about it ... do you really think they're going to let someone who eats their own buggers in (for example) just because they're rich or connected? Its a common myth, but logically its completely ridiculous.





No matter how much money you have, once you are in Harvard you have to operate at their academic level, so if you're not smart enough you're going to fail whether or not you have money.





Sometimes schools like Harvard bend rules for influential people, but they're not going to bend them that far. I was admitted to the University of Southern California (didn't end up attending) because an uncle of mine who donated two million dollars to the school called in a favor. However, I had a 3.75 GPA (unweighted) and a 1420 on my SAT's (I was academically qualified to go there ... I just couldn't afford it).
Reply:You need brains. The top universities give out a lot of financial aid, so they do not need rich people who are not very smart to attend.
Reply:I think anyone can get in as long as they are rich enough...
Reply:Money has influence.


Going to these schools is more about having and gaining new connections. The curriculum is good but can be found in the same quality elsewhere as well. Knowledge does not equate wisdom or common sense.
Reply:You can't get into Harvard unless you have good grades and high SAT scores. Other factors can be involved too, such as your areas of interests, previous achievements and whether or not your parents are Harvard alumni.
Reply:I think that for a celeb to get into Harvard, they do have to be capable and smart. I think that for an non-celeb to get in, they have to be extremely capable and exceptionally smart.
Reply:Well Brooke Shields and Jodie Foster did it and they are intelligent. Perhaps entrance is easier but I do believe you still have to do the work. I don't think the university would eschew academic integrity simply for ones celebrity status.
Reply:i think that their being capable and smart might be measured by the "talent" they have demonstrated rather than their academic history.