In 1e and 2e, especially, being a meta was COSTLY. As in, being a meta was literally your first priority. You rated your priorities between Magic, Attributes, Skills, Tech, and Race (how I always thought of it, since it made a nice MASTR acronym). You got to make one an A, one a B, one a C, etc.
In 1e, Metahuman, any type, was A. Full Magician was A, unless you were a meta, then it was B.
My numeric analysis of racial numbers was just an odd thought triggered by thinking about the cost of "exotic" characters, like Shapeshifters and the like. They're not so bad when you consider the freebie points, especially since those don't eat into your "attributes" budget.