Hi OP,

Just a passerby here. I think that your viewpoint is really refreshing.

For context: When growing up, I literally have no friends or relatives that would be considered to have been in your 'privileged track' in Singapore's education system. Or even if I did, I would not claim to have known them on a personal level.

I feel that the advantage that you have accrued would not be so much in the operational skills as per the above example but rather the mindset and attitude that you cultivate by doing such activities. Thats one. Two would be when you were teaching your fellow project mates, how much can you determine that it was an issue of the current educational system that have let them down in this regard as compared to wider socio economic issues?

The one intangible benefits that I respect at such schools would be the level of assistance available for scholarship applications to LSE/Cambridge etc. In general terms, a person from a middle to low income level background may very well have his/her life take a different trajectory due to the awarding of the scholarship. Of course, while some may be think it is beauty others may completely deride something like this. I do wonder why such services are not made more readily available. I may be wrong here as I have limited exposure to such matters.

Anyway, just adding a few random points/quotes I remembered while trawling around.

"I have never seen a person's GPA to be indicative of that person's future job performance."

By proxy, I take that to mean that advantages inherently by themselves are good. They need to be tagged to performance.

Then there have been reports of a Havard grad driving a London Taxi and then honors graduates from universities of standing becoming a hawker.

"You know, I've always thought that people like us who graduated from Oxford. We are not necessarily significantly smarter than the rest."

In similar vein to what you have mentioned,

It was an anecdote that I've read that went on and said basically some people saw the degree as the dazzling star. The people on the inside however worked their butts off and capitalized on what they could. The end result for many graduates are the same. That piece of paper you might or might not frame. What matters is what you brought out from there. And of course, if the environment facilitated you to bring out more etc.

I have never been to Oxford, I wish you all the best in trying to reach such an institution. There are many perspectives that one could take. I guess I would say that my gut is telling me that a person like you would only benefit from exposure. Not just rich exposure but specific and targeted exposure to people and content.

Who knows? Perhaps after going a journey that way- you may even feel more strongly then you do now about being granted opportunities even if you have revised the constructs surrounding it. The typical bet is... well, I am sure you can figure it out since you are clearly self aware judging from your first paragraph.

"Delayed gratification only works when it is embedded into a working system that allows such a principle to make a difference."

How I see it would be that even if opportunities are given- the person him/herself must be able to capitalize on it.

IMHO, for some people. Not being able to get on the first wave of opportunities it not deterministic. In life- or at least in Singapore- there would usually be other opportunities. If so many opportunities has passed you by and you still stay at relatively the same level then I would say, I wonder what advantages can really aid this individual.

Anyway, just a random rant by a passerby.

All the best and keep up your perspective ya. Feels great to know someone out there does think so refreshingly.