It’s not a requirement and fewer kids do get national prominence than CC imagines. But the safer approach is to be informed. In fact, to be the sort of kid who would try to be more informed, and accurately, in the first place. The sort of kid who knows Why Harvard? is not the beauty or the seasons. There are tons of beautiful colleges in 4 season locations.
Even top colleges that don’t ask a Why Us still vet how you matched yourself to them and them to you. (And there can be another supp question designed to check this.) You don’t say, here I am, I choose you, look how special I was in my one hs, send my admit letter.