@Canuckguy : Meh, but is it surprising? I suppose in the sense that since being hooked has an ethnic component as well (as in URMs are hooked), if they follow such patterns, forgot about attempts to diversify certain fields without making the undergraduate work in it easier. The only thing is, STEM careers are often less GPA sensitive and more experience sensitive, so often perseverance and a desire to catch up or improve as I would imagine students at an elite institution should have, can lead to a salvageable GPA that gets them a solid job or even a decent grad. school offer. Furthermore, a meh GPA, unless going into the health professions can be mitigated by research, internships, and other experiences. Again, I think students are just used to thinking that only very high numbers can get them access to opportunities which isn’t exactly true for STEM fore example. If only more students were slapped out of high school mode earlier. Even the humanities and social sciences should do it to some extent.
Also, I’m sorry, but you do not need an 800 in math to succeed at Rice in most STEM subjects. I imagine it as helping in math and physics, but really anything competitive will do. I would certainly hope that they do not give courses that can distinguish that much between students who scored high on SAT math vs. super high. Usually in introductory classes, there is a threshold to be met and beyond that, most folks can succeed. Beyond that, AP/IB exposure and performance will help tremendously if you do not have a very high math SAT. You may at least have the work ethic and discipline in specific subject areas. Also this idea of so easily flunking out of hardly any elite school is hilarious. With most more difficult grading disciplines, you just need to be decent not necessarily at or near the top.
Even the idea that you need a near perfect GPA to get into law and MBA programs is hilarious looking at today. High ones definitely help but it generally appears that they need not be as high as they used to in order to gain access to top programs.