Hard work matters—but it doesn’t matter nearly as much as people want to believe.
The idea of a pure meritocracy—where success is earned solely by talent and effort—is one of America’s favorite myths. It’s baked into how we talk about education, careers, and success stories. But scratch beneath the surface, and you’ll find a system where privilege often outruns hard work, and where the playing field was never level to begin with. The promise sounds good: if you work hard, you’ll rise. But for millions of Americans, that climb is blocked by barriers the privileged never even notice.
The upper class has access to advantages most people can’t buy, even with decades of grind. Wealth unlocks better schools, tutors, social networks, internships, legal help, and second chances. These aren’t minor perks—they’re structural boosts that shape outcomes before effort even enters the equation. Criticizing the myth of meritocracy isn’t about denying success or saying ambition doesn’t matter. It’s about being honest about how stacked the deck really is. These ten criticisms expose why the U.S. meritocracy often rewards access, not ability—and why pretending otherwise only deepens the divide.
1. Wealthy families can buy academic advantages their kids didn’t earn.
Private schools, test prep services, and college admissions consultants aren’t luxuries—they’re investments in a child’s future that directly tilt the scale. A student from a wealthy family might get into an elite college not because they’re more talented, but because they had access to every academic advantage along the way, according to the authors at PBS. That SAT tutor, that essay coach, that unpaid summer internship—all of it stacks the resume before the kid even walks into the admissions office.
Meanwhile, a working-class student may juggle two jobs, care for siblings, and study in crowded conditions. Their grades might be just as strong, but without the extras, they don’t stand out. The system says both kids “earned” their spot, but only one had the runway cleared in advance. Meritocracy assumes a fair race, but when one runner starts halfway down the track, the results aren’t a reflection of effort—they’re a reflection of access.
2. Legacy admissions keep elite institutions in the hands of the privileged.
Many of the most prestigious universities in the U.S. give preferential treatment to “legacy” applicants—kids whose parents or grandparents attended the same school, as reported by Shane LaGesse at U.S. News. These students aren’t applying on a level playing field. Their family history becomes a golden ticket, offering a major advantage before their application is even read.
It’s framed as tradition, but what it really does is preserve exclusivity. Legacy admissions prioritize those who already had access, ensuring elite networks stay closed to outsiders. A brilliant first-generation student has to work twice as hard to get noticed, while a mediocre legacy kid can coast into acceptance. That’s not merit—it’s inheritance dressed up as achievement.
3. Internships and job connections are often a matter of who you know.
Landing that coveted internship in media, tech, or finance can open doors for a lifetime—but getting in often depends on informal networks, not public postings, as stated by the authors at CNBC. Wealthier families have friends in high places, connections at firms, or alumni ties that make introductions happen. A call from a parent’s golf buddy can replace a whole application process.
Working-class students may be just as qualified, but without those networks, their resumes land in a stack that never gets seen. And if the internship is unpaid, they might not be able to afford to take it in the first place. These hidden entry points give privileged kids a running start in competitive industries, while everyone else plays catch-up with no map.
4. Standardized testing favors those who can afford preparation.
The SAT and ACT are supposed to measure academic readiness, but what they often reflect is a student’s ability to afford extensive test prep. Private tutoring, practice exams, and strategy sessions can boost scores dramatically—and those services aren’t cheap. High scores become less about aptitude and more about access to resources.
Students from lower-income backgrounds often walk into these exams with little preparation, balancing part-time work and school responsibilities. They may be just as capable but aren’t familiar with test formats or trick questions designed to reward strategy over knowledge. The result? Admissions decisions that look objective but are skewed by income.
5. The cost of college locks many talented students out.
Getting into college is one hurdle—paying for it is another. Even public universities are becoming increasingly unaffordable, and private schools are out of reach for most families. Students take on massive debt, delay graduation, or skip college altogether—not because they aren’t smart or driven, but because they can’t afford it.
Meanwhile, upper-class families pay tuition outright, support unpaid internships, and cover rent so their kids can focus entirely on school. That financial freedom lets those students excel without distraction. The supposed meritocracy ignores how cost determines who gets to thrive academically—and who gets buried by the price of opportunity.
6. Social capital gives the upper class hidden, unspoken advantages.
Success isn’t just about what you know—it’s about who teaches you how to move through the world. Upper-class families pass down unspoken rules: how to network, how to talk in interviews, what to wear, when to follow up. These soft skills—often taken for granted—are game-changers in professional settings.
Someone without that background may be equally intelligent but miss key cues that make or break a first impression. They might not know how to ask for mentorship, negotiate a salary, or navigate office politics. Social capital isn’t always visible, but it shapes careers in quiet, powerful ways. And it’s rarely acknowledged when we talk about merit.
7. Safety nets let the wealthy take more risks—and recover faster.
Starting a business, taking a gap year, switching careers—all of these moves require a financial cushion. People with family wealth can take risks others can’t. If they fail, they land on soft ground: family support, extra savings, another opportunity waiting. That flexibility opens doors and encourages experimentation.
For everyone else, one misstep can mean eviction, debt, or dropping out. Even a car repair can derail a semester. The ability to take a chance—and recover from it—is a luxury the meritocracy doesn’t factor in. When failure is survivable, people are freer to pursue success. When it’s not, even the most driven individuals hold back.
8. The criminal justice system punishes the poor and protects the powerful.
Two people can commit the same offense and face wildly different outcomes depending on their income and connections. A wealthy teenager might get probation and therapy, while a low-income teen gets jail time and a permanent record. Legal outcomes hinge on access to good lawyers, private rehab, and leniency that doesn’t extend across class lines.
That disparity doesn’t just affect individuals—it affects their future. A criminal record can destroy job prospects, housing access, and educational opportunities. And it doesn’t take a violent crime to end up trapped in the system. For many, a single bad break is a lifelong barrier. Meanwhile, upper-class kids get second chances that aren’t available to everyone else.
9. Generational wealth turns effort into inheritance.
Many of today’s “self-made” millionaires started with advantages that aren’t always disclosed. Family businesses, early investments, debt-free education, and homeownership passed down from grandparents all contribute to a leg up that compounds over time. The narrative focuses on hard work, but skips over the starting capital.
Wealth builds wealth. It buys access to neighborhoods with better schools, creates passive income, and eliminates the need to work low-wage jobs just to get by. Merit becomes easier to showcase when you aren’t weighed down by financial survival. Inheritance doesn’t just pass down money—it passes down opportunity, which meritocracy tends to ignore.
10. The myth of meritocracy blames the unsuccessful for systemic barriers.
One of the most damaging effects of meritocracy is that it quietly shifts blame. If success is all about hard work, then failure must mean you didn’t try hard enough. It ignores racism, classism, disability, trauma, and a dozen other systemic barriers that affect outcomes.
This mindset makes people internalize their struggles as personal flaws rather than reflections of a rigged system. It keeps them quiet, ashamed, and overworked. And it lets those with privilege feel justified in their success—because they believe they earned every bit of it, even when the system was tilted in their favor all along.
Meritocracy sounds empowering, but without equity, it’s just a prettier version of inequality. And until we stop pretending the ladder is the same height for everyone, we’ll keep mistaking advantage for achievement.