@vwlizard I wish I could hug you right now. I got a little sad and teary reading your post. There is no real yes or no answer because there are many average or typical kids at the top schools and many exceptional kids at other schools. So yes average cuts it for 99% of the schools. I assure you! My kid is pretty much average and I do believe that the outcomes of applications can hinge on nuances specific to the applicant in that year based on very very specific needs of the school and almost nothing to do with deficits of applicants. Feel free to pm me with any questions about the process.