I think that maximizing diversity is great. I don’t think that the Top X schools should become less diverse than they currently are. I’m just saying that if one chooses to go to a Top X school that one is foregoing much in the way of diversity of thought and experience that would be reflected by students with lower GPAs, additional life experiences, negative academic experiences, etc.
Did they? Will they? There was a thread about the importance of attending a diverse college, and one of the points I made there was that diversity at an institution is only beneficial if you’re having meaningful interactions with people who are different from yourself. How many of the students admitted to the Top X colleges are taking classes that aren’t honors/AP/dual enrollment while they’re in high school? And doing “research” at local universities and participating in expensive extracurriculars? And once they graduate from Top X college, what are these students thinking of doing? Medical school, investment banking, and CS, preferably at FAANG companies. I’m not seeing a lot of meaningful interaction there, either.
And lest I give the impression that I am some paragon of diverse interactions, I am not. I remember distinctly when I started 10th grade at a new high school and we hadn’t been able to have me placed in the gifted track yet because the person responsible wasn’t going to be returning until the start of school. I spent half of the first day with the “regular” population and was so overjoyed when I was called to the office partway through the day once everything was fixed that I gave my mom a hug in front of everybody (and as a teen, that was a big deal). As an adult, I’ve gotten to have more interactions with people from a variety of background and realize how much I lost as a result of being in my own academically privileged bubble. It’s one of the reasons we’ve made some of the educational choices we have for our child.
This may not be at all how you intended this to come across, but I want you to know that when I read this your use of the words “dealt with/deal with” came across as very negative toward those who did not have high school resumes exalted enough to attend a Top X school. It felt like you see the others as some sort of trial to deal with that infringes on one’s own bubble. As I shared above, I have rejoiced in my own return to my bubble before. As an adult, however, I realize how wrong my own view was and how much it shortchanged me (and how many problems it is causing in our society today). This may not have been what you meant, but it is how it came across to me.