Yes, I know Harvard is not interested in capturing the long tail. In fact, I somewhat suspect that they are more interested in obscuring the long tail at the high end–hence the lack of objection to re-centering the SATs in the mid 1990s, and the reliance on the SATs at all, instead of a more difficult test. If you take a look at the essay and problem-solving tests that Oxford and Cambridge entrants take, you can see the distinct difference in level of difficulty.
I know that American universities are not going to change their admissions practices, no matter how many outsiders think it would be a good idea. I understand that Harvard is looking for people who will be “important,” and not necessarily for future academics, except with their slight nod to 10% or so of the class. I get it.
But I also know that MIT and Harvard are not actually that hard. MIT has information on many of its courses online. The great majority of the students who believe that they are being forced to drink from a fire hose there would be adequately challenged at my university instead.