<p>I can absolutely assure you that if that happened it was because they “made” a place for him. He didn’t take one away from a deserving child. Most schools don’t plan their yields to fill every single available bed.</p>
<p>And if you feel any better, a lot of legacies without big bucks are being turned down every year in droves at each of the schools. And also many students whose parents are wealthy. Stories like that - unqualified candidate getting into a school is an exception these days, not a rule. I know because Adcoms are having to make those calls in advance of M10 to try to salvage the relationship with the alum who is getting the bad news.</p>