“academics should be the single most important criteria for selection in highly selective undergraduate institutions”
It’s one of those views that’s more theoretical and less about the real purpose of these elite holistics. It’s also one person’s opinion. Ever read what MIT has to say about unilateral?
You would take an unbalanced kid based on scores? Skip teacher comments, that essay about how her cat is her best friend (real,) or that engineering wanna be who, outside taking high level math and physics and placing well, has no collaborative skills, no hs or other related experience-and doesn’t know what engineering does? Etc.
Or you do acknowledge some filtering is needed?