<p>And let’s push the good old Devil’s Advocate: some schools, such as my high school, had connections with top-tier colleges. While that did not mean that students from my school were guaranteed spots, it meant that it was likely that some number of students <em>would</em> get in each year. Those spots often went to legacies (who were, most of the time, quite talented), well-connected applicants, minorities, or recruits. Students who did not fit into those categories were at a disadvantage. This situation is not uncommon.</p>
<p>Sure, colleges don’t try to “spread the wealth,” but they’re not going to load up on school X either. Especially since, FWIW, the whole thing is relatively arbitrary. A Harvard admissions officer once told me that they could replace their class with the next 1600 top applicants, and the two groups would look virtually identical.</p>