<p>From above: "but wouldn't there be just about as many students in the midwest as in the east coast who apply to those top colleges? "</p>
<p>Though the Midwest has students who do apply to the ivies, Midwest students as a group are not enamored with ivies like those in the east. Many here would consider UChicago, Northwestern, Notre Dame, WashU or their own flagship public university a better choice than any ivy, and would feel more crushed by being rejected by one of those than any ivy.</p>
<p>I have seen annual newspaper reports over the years in the Midwest listing where valedictorians and salutatorians of a lot of schools applied and decided to attend and the ivies are hardly mentioned and 95% or more choose a Midwest college. You also have the issue that there are just far more people living in the east and west coast where the SAT is the predominate test taken by high school seniors than there are in the midwest where the ACT predominates.</p>
<p>The real point of interest is how things have changed since the SAT adopted a writing section for its test (2005). Back in the early 2000s the percent of applicants applying to the ivies that took the ACT was usually in the single digits even though the ivies accepted the ACT except Princeton (which accepted it only if you were in a state were you could not take the SAT, which was none) and a couple of other ivies still stated a preference for the SAT. Also the number of high school students per graduating senior class that took the SAT test was usually a few hundred thousand more than the ACT. </p>
<p>Within a year after the SAT test with writing appeared, the remaining colleges that had stated an SAT preference dropped it; by 2008 the few remaining colleges that accepted only the SAT had gone to readily accepting both (CalTech, Harvey Mudd, and Wake Forest were the last hold outs and Wake Forest actually went to requiring no test). The status today is that usually more than 30% of the applicants to an ivy submit ACT, a more than 200% increase over about 8 years ago, likely reflecting that many in the east now take it in lieu of or in addition to the SAT since the ACT is readily accepted. Also, the number of students in any graduating high school class that now take the ACT is close to the same as the number who take the SAT, also partly a reflection that more in the east (and west coast) are taking it in additon to or as an alternative to the SAT. In other words, the OP is looking at current figures showing that about 30% of applicants to high ranked eastern colleges submit ACT and thinks that reflects the college prefers SAT when in fact the percentage of the ACT applicants has greatly increased over the last several years reflecting that colleges have gone to readily accepting both.</p>