Emily: I've unearthed some shocking statistics. I mean, do you have any idea how hot the competition is to get into a school like Harvard?
Lorelai: Well, yeah, it's very hot. It's one of the top schools in the country.
Emily: In the world. People from China, Russia, India, children from every country apply to Harvard. There's more competition than ever before.
Lorelai: Really, Mom, I know all this.
Emily: With the dot-com bust and the job market dwindling and the stock market going up and down like a yo-yo, everyone and his brother knows the best chance for success and financial security is not just to go to college, but to go to a top college. Thank you, got it, appreciate the info. Every child that applies has the same high grade point average, they've taken the same AP classes, and they're all on the student council.
Lorelai: They're not all that identical.
Emily: One college admissions officer said that he sometimes puts a random stack of applications in the yes pile and the rest in the no pile because he knows it doesn't make any difference. He doesn't even so much as glance at them.
Lorelai: That does not sound real.
Emily: And now it's the in thing for young Hollywood celebrities to go to universities. What do they call themselves, the Brat Pack?
Lorelai: About a hundred years ago.
Emily: They get into wherever they want based on name recognition. I was watching TV and that insipid Kate Hudson was talking about going to a university. If she decides to go to Harvard, she'll get right in over Rory, who we know is more qualified.