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<p>@Madge - it is awfully hard to judge why someone got in and someone else did not because their stats were perceived as lower. Admissions is about so much more than what is on paper. There is gut feel, family or student information not readily visible to outside observers, having the right person put in a good word, a nuance on an essay, etc. My husband has seen families angry that someone with lower stats might have been admitted to a college but don’t know that their child wrote something in the essay to “hint” they didn’t want to be at the school - all the while smiling and giving opposite impression to the parents. We’ve both read recommendations from teachers that expressed doubts about a student or included an insurmountable negative. It could just be that the one hobby student A had on his list resonated with the committee in a way the others did not. </p>
<p>I’ve also seen students load up on EC’s they don’t care about. One student recently told me he played an instrument then dropped it just to get it on his resume. I’ve seen fantastic enthusiastic students interview with a litany of activities they are passionate about -only the majority of other candidates had the same list and it didn’t stand out. </p>
<p>And sometimes - just sometimes - the kid did everything right and there just wasn’t enough space. Or they don’t want tons of kids from the same high school. You can never tell. But it is hurtful for students on this board who don’t share the same ubiquitous resumes but found a home to keep reading posts in which someone says “someone will less than (fill in the blanks)” got in and my kid didn’t. Those kids are just as deserving and go on to do amazing things.</p>