[gmarx]

People like to discuss who they think deserves to get into Harvard but almost no one ever tries to model what functions Harvard admissions are attempting to maximize. I really don't know and have never read an explanation. Could easily be they are trying to maximize prestige of graduates and future donations. Also not sure why everyone thinks getting certain people admitted to Harvard will solve society wide problems. Don't some studies show the intuitive point that getting into a top tier school matters more than going to a top tier school, i.e. top tier schools are good at identifying high potential high school students.