<p>Oh… My intention with that reference wasn’t to “intimidate” but rather to show you how capricious admissions to top places- and admissions to LACs with distinct personalities like HC- can be. For example, I applied ED to HC and was initially shocked that I got waitlisted. I’m not really sure what I did differently (… actually, i didn’t use spell check on my application and I was kinda full of myself during my interview 
), but I later wound up getting into HC… and to a bunch of other schools like Swat and Brown as well (after learning to spell and chilling out). Annectdotally, that’s why I really don’t believe in “chances”… just meet the mean scores of the school, have a few cool activities to talk about and apply and see if the stars align for you at that moment… a lot of it really has to do with luck so there’s no point in fretting. </p>
<p>It’s very difficult for adcoms to place “value” on the merits of students (is 100 points off the SATs equivalent if the kid is a top violinist… or if not, how about if the kid is more rare… like a top tuba player?). Equally, it’s also really impossible to rank top colleges in absolute terms as well… although that doesn’t seem to stop many people on CC (is going to a college in the middle of nowhere made up by the fact that it may have a bigger endowment?). Clearly, for adcoms AND for applicants, all these things are relative and that’s why there is no formula to follow.</p>
<p>Regarding the music issue, I do know that HC is about to undertake its “last” improvements… raising the performing arts to the excellence of HC’s other strong disciplines. For that, admissions may weigh musical and artistic talent more heavily than in years past. I do know that any talent (athletic, artistic, leadership…) has always been literally flagged by admissions and a music professor impressed by your abilities will refer your name to admissions. When I mean talent that is recruited, however, that is more than being student council president for leadership or being 1st string of an orchestra for music…</p>