It seemed like things began to change in the early nineties. I'm trying to track down who in the admissions office instigated it. I don't suppose you know?
At least when I was involved with math contests (early 2010s) it was more that there were a lot of ex-campers at MIT/Harvard, and that did a lot to convince me.
Po Shen did a lot to recruit students directly to CMU, but I'm not sure there was a similar direct line at MIT.
Po Shen did a lot to recruit students directly to CMU, but I'm not sure there was a similar direct line at MIT.