<p>Conan:</p>
<p>Sometimes they probably use the hat! But, not always. See my post on the “2nd time is a charm” thread about “slots” and the luck of the draw.</p>
<p>Your case makes sense. MIT gets a million math and science applicants. Swarthmore doesn’t get as many, but still has a bunch of “math, science, and engineering” slots. If you have “a math or engineering” application, you are going to be in a smaller pile of applications at Swarthmore than at MIT. Strong application. Swarthmore needed to fill “your” slot. MIT didn’t.</p>