Setting aside the different definitions of “qualified,” I think the OP’s perspective (which is all too common) is reinforced by an over-emphasis on parsing small differences in academic credentials (e.g., 3.9 vs 4.0 GPA; 4 APs with 4s & 5s vs 6 AP classes with all 5s; 1520 SAT vs 1600 SAT) without having a bigger understanding of non-academic strengths – which are often less quantifiable. While admissions at MIT are holistic in any case (and thus, some would argue, inherently impossible to measure), I’ve found this this document to be a helpful tool to gauging likelihood of admissions based on both academic and non-academic criteria: http://phs.princetonk12.org/guidance/Forms/Betterton%20College%20Planning.pdf