Originally Posted by Bostonian
Originally Posted by NotSoGifted
I think the 10 percent was misinterpreted. Some folks here make it seem as though the other 90 percent admitted have the same IQ as my kid's pet goldfish.

I suspect the 10 percent comment means something along the lines of 10 percent have been Intel semifinalists, have published significant research, qualified for USAMO, etc. That doesn't mean that the other 90 percent are dumb jocks and clueless legacies. The 90 percent probably includes some very bright, gifted kids, but they haven't cured cancer (not yet at least).
Exactly. The 10% statistic is bogus. The 25-75 percentile SAT score ranges for Harvard students are

SAT Critical Reading: 700 / 800
SAT Math: 710 / 800
SAT Writing: 710 / 800

Those 25th percentile scores would be much lower if Harvard admitted lots of students with no regard for academic achievement.
Nonsense. It's your argument that is bogus, and I have already debunked it, and so have others, see here
http://infoproc.blogspot.com/2014/09/harvard-admissions-and-meritocracy.html

An earlier blog
http://infoproc.blogspot.com/2009/11/defining-merit.html
lists several categories of which "S First-rate scholar in Harvard departmental terms." is just one of many. Most SAT/ACT high scorers are not in this category.