The problem is a lot bigger than Ivy League Admissions. After the war until the 80s-ish, there was no admissions arms race because back then, people could get a decent job with a high school diploma and it was generally true that your job wouldn't be outsourced by managers giving you an unceremonious boot out the door and little else. I'm not saying that employers were paragons of virtue back then. I'm just saying that the outsourcing, the gig economy, and other factors have made almost everyone insecure today, and that much of the upper middle class tends to look at IVY LEAGUE SCHOOLS as a vaccine for that problem. IMO, this is wishful thinking.