Well this thread has sure been fun to read.
Just one question.
A kid goes to a very small rural school, say Wyoming, has a graduating class of 15. The school is so small they don't have sports, no varsity team to be a captain. No need for an Editor in Chief for the Yearbook because it fits on one page. The only leadership this kid has is working on the family farm or ranch. Grades and test scores are decent but the school is not near a top tier high school, oh and he happens to be white.
Should this kid be automatically deemed not qualified because he doesn't have the resume of states other applicants from urban top tier high schools have and is just given a number.
Sometimes where you come from and the opportunities you have or don't have need to be taken into account.
Those that outright dismiss any diversity in applications need to spend some time at an inner city urban high school. Just because someone doesn't have the opportunities in high school to help them succeed in having a stellar resume, doesn't mean they do not have what it takes to excel, given the opportunity.
There is often a lot more to it then what's just on paper.
Not a perfect system, but it has to start somewhere.