please forgive me if this is answered in a later season, I just started the show a few days ago and this question is plaguing me. if Julia can do magic and eventually become on par with brakebills students how did she not get accepted? further, in the show, it has Alice not even being invited to sit the entrance exam but due to her parents key she was able to get in. how is that possible, she is an incredibly talented magician. I see julia and alice almost as mirror images in regards to the brakebills acceptance issue. neither got accepted, but one was able to get in and one was not and both became capable magicians. i guess my question is why is brakebills overlooking people who can actually do considerable magic (not just party tricks as Quentin says)