[csa]

Indeed.

Dirty little secret -- no more than 30% of elite school grads are really "smart" (here meaning they can grasp, apply, and extend complex new ideas quickly). The others are usually bringing in some sort of social capital (athlete, highly skilled and aggressive hoop jumper, etc.).

One thing I try to tell people about elite school grads is to set the expectations early and clearly. The really smart graduates get bored really quickly, and if you have routine work for them, it likely will not work out well. That said, the hoop jumper grads may be exactly what you need as long as you have a long series of hoops. The athletes have their strengths and weaknesses, too (n.b. the elite school varsity athlete totally-not-a-club club is a thing, and that thing has value in the right contexts).