In comment #29:
Not that I doubt your comment, but according to the CDS, Rochester lists Level of Applicant’s Interest only as “Considered” (the choices are “Very Important”, “Important”, “Considered”, and “Not Considered”):
http://www.collegedata.com/cs/data/college/college_pg02_tmpl.jhtml?schoolId=117
Are you just speaking informally, or does Rochester, and/or schools in general, downplay how much they consider interest? I’ve seen people say that, but I wonder how true it is – unlike other factors, there doesn’t seem to be any benefit gained by the school by downplaying this as a factor (unless it’s a trick!). Also, I keep telling my son how important it is to show interest, which doesn’t have the desired impact on him when he responds that most of the schools on his list only “Consider” interest :-).