---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology…"
description: "\"The Massachusetts Institute of Technology accepts blacks in the top ten percent of students, but at MIT this puts them in the bottom ten percent of the..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cd/thomas-sowell-247_bottom_the-massachusetts-institute-of-technolog_981701.jpg"
---

#  The Massachusetts Institute of Technology accepts blacks…

![“The Massachusetts Institute of Technology accepts blacks in the top ten percent of students, but at MIT this puts them in the bottom ten percent of the class.” quote by Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cd/thomas-sowell-247_bottom_the-massachusetts-institute-of-technolog_981701.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cd/thomas-sowell-247_bottom_the-massachusetts-institute-of-technolog_981701.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cd/thomas-sowell-247_bottom_the-massachusetts-institute-of-technolog_981701.jpg)

> “The Massachusetts Institute of Technology accepts blacks in the top ten percent of students, but at MIT this puts them in the bottom ten percent of the class.”

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

MIT's admissions policy leads to black students being a minority among top performers but a minority overall in class rankings.

**In simple terms:** MIT admits top black students but they rank low overall.

Key Takeaway

Recognize systemic disparities in education.

Themes

education inequality policy statistics

Mood

critical analytical

Type

observational analytical

When to use this quote

- college admissions
- classroom dynamics
- policy analysis

Key Concepts

Affirmative action meritocracy demographics

Questions to Reflect On

- How do policies affect student experiences?
- What metrics truly reflect equity?

A Different Perspective

Admissions numbers can mask deeper inequities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Accepts Blacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accepts-blacks-1952850/) [Blacks Percent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blacks-percent-1952849/) [Bottom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/institute/) [Massachusetts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/massachusetts/) [Massachusetts Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/massachusetts-institute-1295409/) [Mit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mit/) [Percent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/percent/) [Percent Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/percent-students-1952851/) [Students](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students/) [Students Mit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/students-mit-1952848/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Ten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ten/)

## Related quotes

> [The president is not doing well with African Americans. His popularity rating - his approval rating - with blacks: two percent. Two percent. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/the-president-is-not-doing-well-with-african-americans-his-popularity/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [In our Nation, approximately 22.5 million children ride school buses to and from school each day, which accounts for 54 percent of all students…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-marchant/in-our-nation-approximately-22-5-million-children-ride-school-buses/)

[Kenny Marchant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-marchant/)

> [When I came to M.I.T. in 1960, only 4 percent of the students were female. Today, it's about 40 percent of undergraduates. At Lincoln…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-came-to-m-i-t-in-1960-only-4-percent-of-the-students-were/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In 1948 I entered the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, undecided between studies of chemistry and physics, but my first year convinced me that physics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burton-richter/in-1948-i-entered-the-massachusetts-institute-of-technology-undecided/)

[Burton Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burton-richter/)

> [I am told that there have been over the years a number of experiments taking place in places like Massachusetts Institute of Technology that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-stewart/i-am-told-that-there-have-been-over-the-years-a-number-of-experiments/)

[Patrick Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-stewart/)

> [Ninety percent of the students take the 'preferred lender.' Why? Because that's the nature of the relationship. You trust the school. The school is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-cuomo/ninety-percent-of-the-students-take-the-preferred-lender-why-because/)

[Andrew Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-cuomo/)

> [“One of the first and most popular of those languages — known as Scratch — was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-first-and-most-popular-of-those-languages-known-as-scratch/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I thought of killing myself but soon decided that I could always try MIT and then kill myself later if it was that bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-gell-mann/i-thought-of-killing-myself-but-soon-decided-that-i-could-always-try/)

[Murray Gell-Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-gell-mann/)

> [ We \[MIT Smart Cities research group\] try to identify the fundamental underlying design assumptions that everybody takes as a sort of given and unchallengeable… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-mitchell/we-mit-smart-cities-research-group-try-to-identify-the-fundamental/)

[William J. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-mitchell/)

> [You think the weather is weird now? Just wait. A new MIT study, just published in a peer-reviewed journal, projects that the Earth could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goodell/you-think-the-weather-is-weird-now-just-wait-a-new-mit-study-just/)

[Jeff Goodell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goodell/)

> [How shall we plan, that all be fresh and new-- Important matter yet attractive too? \[Ger., Wie machen wir's, dass alles frisch und neu…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/how-shall-we-plan-that-all-be-fresh-and-new-important-matter-yet/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [If anybody thinks they should listen to me because I'm a professor at MIT, that's nonsense. You should decide whether something makes sense by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-anybody-thinks-they-should-listen-to-me-because-i-m-a-professor-at/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [I want MIT to be the dream of every child who wants to grow up to make the world a better place. We need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-hockfield/i-want-mit-to-be-the-dream-of-every-child-who-wants-to-grow-up-to/)

[Susan Hockfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-hockfield/)

> [My father was a professor of civil engineering at MIT, and my mother taught high school English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-allin-cornell/my-father-was-a-professor-of-civil-engineering-at-mit-and-my-mother/)

[Eric Allin Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allin-cornell/)

> [ \[In geology,\] As in history, the material in hand remains silent if no questions are asked. The nature of these questions depends on the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-geology-as-in-history-the-material-in-hand-remains-silent-if-no/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Thomas Sowell

> [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [There is no bigger waste of time than doing 90% of what is necessary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/there-is-no-bigger-waste-of-time-than-doing-90-of-what-is-necessary/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/if-you-have-always-believed-that-everyone-should-play-by-the-same/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [“In 1962, Democratic President John F. Kennedy, like both Democratic and Republican Presidents and Secretaries of the Treasury in earlier years, pointed out that “it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/in-1962-democratic-president-john-f-kennedy-like-both-democratic-and/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Ideological bigotry has become the norm on even our most prestigious campuses, where students can go for years without reading or hearing anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/ideological-bigotry-has-become-the-norm-on-even-our-most-prestigious/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Bailing out people who made ill-advised mortgages makes no more sense that bailing out people who lost their life savings in Las Vegas casinos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/bailing-out-people-who-made-ill-advised-mortgages-makes-no-more-sense/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [“One third of all Scots in the mid-nineteenth century moved from one county to another”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/one-third-of-all-scots-in-the-mid-nineteenth-century-moved-from-one/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [The difference is that we have the hardest and most painful evidence that there was a Holocaust. But, for the global warming scenario that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-difference-is-that-we-have-the-hardest-and-most-painful-evidence/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [“Just as price fluctuations allocate scarce resources which have alternative uses, price controls which limit those fluctuations reduce the incentives for individuals to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/just-as-price-fluctuations-allocate-scarce-resources-which-have/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [The greatest danger to the liberal vision are facts about the consequences of liberalism itself and the laws, policies, and ways of life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-greatest-danger-to-the-liberal-vision-are-facts-about-the/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Having spent years ruining the housing markets with their interference, leading to a housing meltdown that has taken the whole economy down with it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/having-spent-years-ruining-the-housing-markets-with-their/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Do all children have some inherent right to live in America if they have done nothing wrong? If not, then why should the children…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/do-all-children-have-some-inherent-right-to-live-in-america-if-they/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [What 'eminent domain' laws mean in practice is that politicians have a right to seize your property and turn it over to someone else,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/what-eminent-domain-laws-mean-in-practice-is-that-politicians-have-a/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [“those parts of the British Isles without the advantage of coal deposits or ports, industrialization was as handicapped as in other countries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/those-parts-of-the-british-isles-without-the-advantage-of-coal/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [The whole idea of equal justice under law is completely incompatible with the idea of judges deciding cases according to "empathy".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-whole-idea-of-equal-justice-under-law-is-completely-incompatible/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

[Explore all 823 Thomas Sowell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

## More Bottom quotes

> [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/)

[Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/)

> [Filmmaking, like sex, isn't a polite enterprise. It involves a lot of mess and the bottom line is, if somebody ain't screaming, you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/filmmaking-like-sex-isn-t-a-polite-enterprise-it-involves-a-lot-of/)

[James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/)

> [I was terrible student. I was capable, but I never like being told what to do, so I was always in the bottom class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lilley/i-was-terrible-student-i-was-capable-but-i-never-like-being-told-what/)

[Chris Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lilley/)

> [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [I plead with my Moonlight fans to give this show a chance if they let me give it a chance. I can’t do Moonlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-o-loughlin/i-plead-with-my-moonlight-fans-to-give-this-show-a-chance-if-they-let/)

[Alex O'Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-o-loughlin/)

> [Well, the bottom line is that I'm extremely pleased with 'The Stupids.' I'm pleased that it's coming out, and it should look good. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landis/well-the-bottom-line-is-that-i-m-extremely-pleased-with-the-stupids-i/)

[John Landis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landis/)

> [Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/search-for-the-seed-of-good-in-every-adversity-master-that-principle/)

[Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/)

> [I would have had a clause in my contract; I would've definitely put some fine print in my contract that said, "If the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-budden/i-would-have-had-a-clause-in-my-contract-i-would-ve-definitely-put/)

[Joe Budden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-budden/)

> [Of course the Dharma-body of the Buddha was the hedge at the bottom of the garden. At the same time, and no less obviously,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/of-course-the-dharma-body-of-the-buddha-was-the-hedge-at-the-bottom/)

[Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/)

> [When I hit bottom, I can attack the problem and get to where I want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rodman/when-i-hit-bottom-i-can-attack-the-problem-and-get-to-where-i-want-to/)

[Dennis Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rodman/)

> [If I had lost the popular vote but won the electoral college and in my first day as president the intelligence community came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-i-had-lost-the-popular-vote-but-won-the-electoral-college-and-in/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [The bottom line, in the professional level, no matter where you go, there's going to be competition. That's what it is. At the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-tolzien/the-bottom-line-in-the-professional-level-no-matter-where-you-go/)

[Scott Tolzien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-tolzien/)

> [Life is a climb and it's a struggle getting to the top but the drop to the bottom can be quick and so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/life-is-a-climb-and-it-s-a-struggle-getting-to-the-top-but-the-drop/)

[Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/)

> [One thing you learned as a Cubs fan: when you bought you ticket, you could bank on seeing the bottom of the ninth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-garagiola/one-thing-you-learned-as-a-cubs-fan-when-you-bought-you-ticket-you/)

[Joe Garagiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-garagiola/)

> [The political satirist usually votes against their own interests, but the bottom line is that it doesn't really matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-winstead/the-political-satirist-usually-votes-against-their-own-interests-but/)

[Lizz Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-winstead/)

[Browse all 2,558 Bottom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The Massachusetts Institute of Technology accepts blacks in the top ten percent of students, but at MIT this puts them in the bottom ten percent of the class.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Sowell"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-massachusetts-institute-of-technology-accepts-blacks-in-the-top/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bottom"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-massachusetts-institute-of-technology-accepts-blacks-in-the-top/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cd/thomas-sowell-247_bottom_the-massachusetts-institute-of-technolog_981701.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cd/thomas-sowell-247_bottom_the-massachusetts-institute-of-technolog_981701.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7cd/thomas-sowell-247_bottom_the-massachusetts-institute-of-technolog_981701.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The Massachusetts Institute of Technology accepts blacks in the top ten percent of students, but at MIT this…” — Thomas Sowell",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Thomas Sowell",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The Massachusetts Institute of Technology accepts...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-massachusetts-institute-of-technology-accepts-blacks-in-the-top/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-massachusetts-institute-of-technology-accepts-blacks-in-the-top/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
