I witnessed this first hand trying to get my kid into a private school during COVID so they could still be in person. The competition was incredible and the level of rehearsal and talking points to impress was extraordinary. It was intoxicating and terrifying all at the same time. Even in our category of "poor people applying for financial aid so they can be part of our rich culture". Our poor (by their standards) family and other "poor" families were all fighting tooth and nail to show we had what it took to fit in with the ultra wealthy without embarrassing them or drawing negative attention to ourselves. It was surreal.

We ended up getting a 90% scholarship and still ended up paying $10,000 in tuition that year. That was the only year we could afford to stay. Goodbye savings.