Most colleges strive to put together a diverse class each year. Diverse in many respects: race, gender, backgrounds, talents and ambitions. It is not a perfect science and maybe as much an art as science. At the most competitive colleges these selected candidates are all smart, hard-working people capable of being future leaders and innovators in many different roles. Take a look at some of the best companies on the planet - AAPL, GE, JPM and DIS to name a few - they all have diversity programs and even offices. It is not because they are trying to be PC - they consider it to be a competitive advantage. The idea being that bringing together a diverse group of people with different backgrounds and talents and having them work towards a common goal creates a more innovative and stronger company. I don't have any insight into the inner workings of the admissions board but I'd bet that they believe all the selected candidates are capable of being productive future military leaders. At the same time they have certain mandates to follow and needs to consider when selecting applicants. I was at the Navy/Delaware game the other week and noticed the cheerleaders - I thought "oh yeah they need cheerleaders as well as football players. I wonder who didn’t get in because they needed a cheerleader.”
But I’m sure the cheerleaders (both male and female) are also perfectly capable of making great future military officers.