Is it odd that I was waitlisted at St Pauls, but outright denied by Loomis Chaffee? I assumed that St. Paul’s was considered a better school. I also was accepted at Kent, Pomfret, and The Gunnery.
First of all, there is no such thing as “a better school”… very subjective. Better how, and better for whom? There are tons of prep schools that offer a superb education. Let the whole" ranking/elite/better" concept go. And no, your results are not “odd”. Similar to your experience, there have been kids who were rejected by Loomis and NMH who were admitted to Andover, Exeter, etc etc. Different schools are looking for different things as they build their next year’s class. Congratulations on your acceptance to several VERY fine schools! The Gunnery is one of my personal favorites. Focus on what’s ahead-- enjoy your revisits, you’ll find the right fit. Love the school that loves you!!
The calculus of BS (and college) admissions is not worth trying to figure out. At some level (once you can meet the minimum requirements), it’s a just a crapshoot. My older girl, who had extremely high stats, was admitted to St. Paul’s but rejected by Choate years ago.
Maybe School A needed more tuba players that year. Or School B needs a new center for the basketball team.
IMO, you did well in having some great options to choose from. There are some folks today who aren't as fortunate.
One point that I think I’ll use your post to make (again) is that you shouldn’t really think of any of the schools mentioned with any frequency here as “better” or “worse” in a general sense. They will all give you a great education. Some might be better fits for you, but the notion of “better” or “more prestigious” is illusory and IMO, meaningless. (Though plenty of people disagree with me on this.)
I believe that, unless your grades and test scores are wildly out of range, admittance hinges quite substantially on the presence or lack of a legitimate and authentic hook, whether or not you are a diversity candidate, geography and ability to pay. (by authentic hook I mean a superb musician or an athlete that will likely play in college. Not just someone who has played soccer for 5 years or plays the clarinet. Most ECs that people think are hooks are simply activities)) There are too many smart kids with A’s and 90 plus test scores.
@Center: This is why I always tell applicants/parents to take a VERY honest look at your app profile. As has been noted by others, some of these schools could fill their entire frosh class with 99%-ile SSAT scorers.
@SevenDad YES!. I have seen many many applicants elsewhere (kids of friends) and here that have 25 activities and it really just amounts to stuff. My kid literally has one serious EC plus two quirky/interesting academic angles. Stuff that surprises people. I truly believe that he might have gotten in everywhere he applied. We only chose a few schools that he felt strongly about. We communicated that as well. He only picked schools that he truly wanted to attend. I believe that impressed people. It wasnt intentional at all. BTW
^^^
Congrats to Centerkid - nice results!
It’s because SPS, like DA & Choate, prefer to send cowardly ‘weasel rejections’ rather than honest rejections.
My nephew’s results M10 2014 : PhotographerMom (nephew) Accepted: Berkshire, Canterbury, Deerfield, Groton, Hotchkiss, Kent, Pomfret, Salisbury; Waitlisted: Brooks, Taft; Rejected: None
Two years later… my sister is still bat**** at Taft. Go figure. Don’t be my sister. 
You have amazing options right now. All three schools are truly A-M-A-Z-I-N-G. Congratulations !!
Why Taft? Personal preference? I’d choose Deerfield or Groton in a heartbeat
As for OP, I don’t know if they meant they like Loomis better. They were just wondering “why”? The answer would be “who knows? And why do you care?” Go celebrate now!
I was following up on @Cameo43’s beautifully made point: It’s all very subjective. In 2014- My nephew ( the one who truly mattered at that time ) was faced with a very a difficult task because he loved all the schools he applied to. All the schools were unique and brought something truly special to the table. ( Personally- I thought his apply-to list was smart and very strategic. ) It was a very difficult decision but he took his time ( tuned out the family noise ) and chose the school he felt suited him best. He’s doing very well ( just saw him yesterday!) and he’s still extremely happy with his choice.
As far as Taft goes… my sister follows M10 on CC and I was razzing her ( she saw it 
). Inside joke- which has more to do with her personality than Taft. If she creates a CC account now, I’m doomed. Thanks a lot.
Seriously- Taft is an awesome school and it would’ve been carefully considered along with the others but as far as my nephew was concerned it was in the rearview mirror the moment he was waitlisted.
Thanks everybody for clearing that up for me.
Feel free to post any other questions here.