@lostaccount I don’t think a 700 on an SAT is a low bar while an 800 is a high bar. If MIT was looking for kids who could pass a high bar they would provide their own significantly harder math test. MIT does provide their own applications with their own 5 essay question because most important for MIT is to try to get to know the students as people and SAT scores tell very little in that regard.
You misunderstood what I was trying to say. I don’t disagree with you about the reasons MIT requires GIRs. I did not discuss the reasons for the GIRs; I discussed the reasons SAT scores were important.
What I’m trying to say is that MIT wants to be sure they accept students who can succeed at MIT. At most other top schools, students who demonstrate exceptional abilities that exclude math would likely still get accepted. An Olympic gold medalist will probably get accepted to most top schools if they choose to apply there. Olympic winners posses qualities that schools including MIT appreciate, such as determination, perseverance, and an incredible work ethic. However, unless that Olympian’s math skills were strong enough to pass the GIRs, MIT would worry that the student would not be able to handle the rigorous coarse load that every student, no matter what they choose to major in, will encounter. At most other top schools it’s possible to be a weak math student and still easily find a path to graduation. That’s not possible at MIT.