Reddit reviews Cheating: An Insider's Report on the Use of Race in Admissions at UCLA

What does that have to do with race? You can consider everything you listed in a race neutral manner. You might find it interesting that UCLA, when trying race-neutral admissions a while back to comply with CA's Prop 209, didn't end up with the number of blacks and Latinos they desired. They just ended up with a bunch of poor Asians!

https://www.amazon.com/Cheating-Insiders-Report-Race-Admissions/dp/1457528290

This is a book written by a UCLA professor, in which he highlights the admissions process, pointing out that it is easier for persons of color and more difficult for Asians. Yes it's only one guy's POV but I think it's at least plausible.

Also your point on how Asians representing 26% of Harvard's freshman class despite only making up 5% of the general pop is somehow indicative of Asians actually "faring way better in admissions than any other category" is a very elementary perspective. Statistically speaking, there are so many lurking variables that are almost certainly present, that no one with even a high school understanding of statistics would come to your conclusion. When you look at the average grade and test scores of East Asians students in comparison to other races, particularly against students of color, you might see why Asians make up what looks to be such a large part of the Harvard student body.