Having attended school in California at a community college, UC, and finally an elite, private university I couldn&#x27;t more agree with your characterization. I don&#x27;t know how much I would agree with the claim that the stratification was purposefully constructed (I&#x27;d argue it&#x27;s more of a reflection of American society writ large - i.e. successful parents have more resources to ensure their kids are successful), but otherwise this rings very true.