<p>@ mathboy: well, then, what exactly defines ‘talent’? If you are talking about test scores, contests, world-wide renown, etc. then you have to realize that by ‘talent and talent only’ you mean those put at the best advantage (culturally, socioeconomically) to achieve these ‘talents’. Those people being primarily white people and asians.
‘Talent’ isn’t 100% nature, it’s your environment, it’s your school, your culture, everything. So if you are fine with an almost completely homogeneous class then, by all means, colleges should admit by this elusive ‘talent’.</p>
<p>Logicwarrior: I understand what you’re saying but not getting into MIT doesn’t mean you don’t ‘fit’ anywhere else. And I’m sure there are plenty of people who are ‘smart and work hard’ at non-HYPSM schools. It’s not like MIT has every smart person, every hard-worker. In fact, at slightly lower-tier schools you could probably find a good population of ‘smart, hardworking’ students who got rejected from Ivies just like this hypothetical applicant!</p>
<p>Northstarmom: That’s very true, but a lot of applicants do have very specific interests. I’m just saying people should broaden their horizons.</p>