Consider a top student at a high school in a lower or lower-middle income area where few go on to college, and mostly to the local community college or less selective commuter state university. Assume that the student is from a lower or lower-middle income family, and is the first generation to college in his/her family. Chances are, the following application requirements or criteria typical of highly selective universities disadvantage such a student:
- SAT subject test requirements. May not even know until it is too late, because other students, parents, and counselors do not normally encounter that requirement at the local less selective commuter university.
- Recommendations. May not even know until it is too late, for similar reasons as the above. Also, counselor and teachers may not have had much practice writing recommendations that will impress the highly selective universities' admissions readers.
- CSS Profile. May not even know until it is too late, for similar reasons as the above. Also, students with divorced uncooperative parents (probably overrepresented in the lower and lower-middle income ranges compared to the upper income ranges) are usually blocked from getting financial aid at schools using the CSS Profile.
- Extracurriculars. From questions on these forums, it seems that many students do not realize that working for pay to help support the family, or caring for siblings, disabled family members, etc. can count. However, a university being more impressed with some types of extracurriculars than others could tip the SES mix one way or the other. If expensive or high SES associated extracurriculars are favored, then that favors those from high SES backgrounds.
- Legacy. Obviously means that first-generation-to-college applicants cannot possibly get such a preference. At the fast-track-to-Wall-Street-and-consulting schools, the legacy pool is likely much higher income than the overall pool.
- Early decision. Those uncertain of finances may not want to commit before they see all financial aid and scholarship offers.
Now, the super-selective universities may want a few students from lower to middle income families among their students. But probably not too many, since they have a financial aid budget to meet. And they can probably get the few that they want through Questbridge.