<p>“Ignoring cultural and gender difference (one biased standard for all) is just as bad as giving a preference to non qualified applicants(AA).”</p>
<p>We know you think that, but I don’t actually agree with you there, and I don’t think you prove the point by repeating it. I don’t think Caltech’s standard is “biased” towards anything except finding the people best able to use a Caltech education, to the best of the admissions committee’s ability.</p>
<p>“There are measurable differences on standardized tests, parental income and education, location and a multitude of other measurements that can’t be ignored.”</p>
<p>…and also have nothing to do with skin color. Caltech, in my experience, is absolutely fine giving a break to someone from a poor background, or who didn’t go to the best high school, or whose parents didn’t attend college–all in the drive to find those that Caltech truly believes are the best to take advantage of a Caltech education. That means that someone <em>actually from</em> the inner-city probably would be excused for never having done, say, an Intel project or USAMO, as long as he or she showed great potential as demonstrated in using the resources that were available to him or her. Again, this has nothing to do with skin color and is not about “diversity” or “balancing the class” but merely about evaluating a student in the context of his or her <em>personal</em> (i.e., not collective) background.</p>
<p>What Caltech will <em>not</em> do is give Random Middle Class Suburban Honors Student A an advantage over Random Middle Class Suburban Honors Student B just because one happens to be a “significant” (as you put it!) color or gender.</p>