<p>All of this is true but it gets uncomfortably close to, “What did I do wrong?” for my tastes. There are lots of times where you did nothing wrong, no flu, no bad attitude, no evil stage-mother, no blowing your audition for whatever reason, and they will choose someone else. Put 100 kids before 10 panels and you will not get the same top ten every time. It’s also a mistake to even think they are going for the top ten. I also believe a national award-winner with a string of professional credits might be a bad “fit” for an unknown little program in the hinterlands. I do believe a school could balk at perhaps being used a safety. Some, like Muhlenberg, are very up front about that and reject those students routinely.</p>