Upon admittance to Yale, many students rejoiced at the myriad options the Blue Book had to offer. Yet to their dismay, they couldn’t simply take any class they wanted. There were pre-registrations and placement tests, pre-requisites and capped classes — and they are not alone. Students at Harvard and Princeton face similar restrictions, according to an article in Sunday’s New York Times.

The Yale class the Times focuses on is “Studies in Grand Strategy” described by professor Paul Kennedy, who co-teaches the class, as “a cult among cult classes” perhaps due to visitors such as Henry Kissinger and Gen. David Petraeus.

“If you’re an ambitious Yalie and you want to be president or secretary of state, it has become a thing that you have to take this class,” Kennedy told the Times.

One hundred undergrads vie for the 15 spots in the class each year, since nine spots go to graduate and professional students. This year the class has two sections of 24, according to the Times.