[heartwood]

Kid is an Eagle Scout, mid-Atlantic region, worked hard, not on any athletic teams, spent some time abroad in a European country, parents divorced, mother had health problems, on food stamps, father abroad, not a lot of money there either.

Here is something about the Ivies’ financial aid for “middle class” families, which in expensive parts of the country means “financially struggling.” Supposedly need blind admissions.

http://www.admissionsconsultants.com/college/ivy_league_finaid.asp

You want a kid to get an Ivy scholarship? find out what sports the Ivy gives scholarships for. When I went to high school a football player who graduated maybe 40 or 50 out of 300 got scholarship offers to Harvard, Princeton, Yale. Number 2 got into Princeton, no scholarship, and the rest of the top 10 (including me) the thin envelopes.

[shhrubbery!]

Kid is an Eagle Scout, mid-Atlantic region, worked hard, not on any athletic teams, spent some time abroad in a European country, parents divorced, mother had health problems, on food stamps, father abroad, not a lot of money there either.

Thanks. From your description, I'm guessing the Ivy school probably accepted him as a token "poor white."

The elitists who staff the admissions office might even characterize your young man as an "Appalachian" (whether that really fits, or not) -- that appellation is fashionable in elite circles as signifying a white person who might be "deserving" of help from them, as an act of noblesse oblige on their part.

Ivy schools make a point of accepting at least one "poor white" into every freshman first year student class. This ensures that they can point to that student whenever they're criticized for their racial affirmative action admission policies.