<p>I think it was all about Marketing. Harvard and Princeton recruited heavily by sending out applications. Perhaps many kids may have gotten smitten by this gesture.</p>
<p>Additionally, with the mega Harry Potter movie star being admitted at Brown, that could have been an attribute to some of their applications. As far as I know, Yale never sent out applications.</p>
<p>Whatever the reasons, each kid will like a specific college for a specific reason. People who liked Yale still applied irrespective of the tragedy.</p>