<p>This debate will rage endlessly. For those people like bob9975 and others who really believe in such a thing as a “meritocracy”, they will not be convinced otherwise. I’ve been in elite higher education for 30 years (both private and public), I can assure you that for those of us who teach in these places and make admissions decisions, it is certainly not the case that we only look at numbers. Professors detest arrogant, “I’m so brilliant” types of students. We look for depth, sincerely, a passion for something and a deep sense of humanity. I would never be interested in teaching someone who held views like bob9975 (although I certainly do). Racist, elitist, sexist, homophobic and people with a sense of intellectual superiority are NOT what we’re looking for. Nor are we looking for test takers. I can attest to the fact that by having a diverse class (meaning socio-economic, geographical (both nationally and internationally), religiously (or non-religious), as well as diverse sexual orientation) does change the discussion in classes, particularly in the Humanities and social sciences. Many top schools require a first year seminar so that these students can start off discussing issues that relate to the world before the delve into their majors. The world is much better off for this. I have had Asians students tell me that they would never go to UC-Irvine because it is TOO Asian and they’re rather be in a more diverse and balanced setting. I find many students also looking for a diverse setting. Finally, I can tell you that many institutions recognize how irrelevant SAT scores are in actuality and some have stopped requiring them. Likewise, research now demonstrate that students who take AP courses don’t perform better than students who DON’T take them. So, many schools don’t care much about those either. I could go on and on. It’s not about the numbers, it’s about the TOTAL student. Scores can be enhanced by tutoring so they become truly meaningless. One of my friend who is Dean of Admissions at an elite LAC told me seeing 2400 scores are common place so that’s no longer a big deal either. For those of you who would like to fool yourself into thing that AA is hurting you is a big, big joke. Essays matter, students who write well matter. It’s not merely about a number.</p>