What does the average black applicant to Columbia, with an SAT score (1320) that no Asian or white student would even think of applying with, do with his University of South Carolina-level score?
If he's smart, he doesn't submit his score to Columbia admissions.
What does the average Asian applicant to Columbia, with an SAT score (1500) higher than the vast majority of black applicants, do with his amazing SAT score?
He makes sure the admissions committee sees it, because if he doesn't, he's toast.
If this system seems incredibly racist to you, it's because it is.
35 percent of recent Columbia classes arrived without submitting an SAT: 63 percent of Black students, 46 percent of Hispanic students, and 17 percent of East Asian students don't submit scores.