I think it’s typical. You can’t plan your way into MIT/Caltech. You really have to have the goods and it’s unlikely a tutor, AP, etc is going to get you there. Plus, the SAT & ACT measurements are too low for these schools which usually have near perfect scores as an average.
Most of the MIT kids/alumni I know don’t want to go into IB, work for McKinsey or even a major tech company. They want to change the world through tech. And the idea that someone can’t have soft skills and hard skills has always been false. Like the idea of the forgetful genius with his/her head in the clouds.