We all work in some form of business.
Yes we review every job application. And glance over all the relevant data.
You create two maybe three piles. One is possibly. Two worth keeping for something else and put in a file and three is simply not a good fit.
20 percent in pile one. 10 percent in pile two. 70 percent in pile three. Is my guesstimate based on the volumes.
You could go though hundreds fairly quickly with these quick reads.
The 20 percent get a lot more attention in the next round. And those are the ones sent to hiring managers to consider.
I’m sure it’s different at every school. The percentages vary.
But the law of numbers defines the reality. Only so many hours and so many sets of eyes available.
The first cut is basic. The next tounds get more thorough. And actual committee bicker and consensus decision are a fragment of the initial pile.
I am sure the AO was being honest about forwarding the info. But I guarantee that they were not giving you a heads up on where it stands. It would be more likely that is the standard response to all inquiries. They know better than to give out indications that could lead to a problem. Especially since it’s already out of their hands by now.
Reading the tea leaves and trying to detect hidden meanings is normal at this time for any concerned parent. No knock on that from me at all. But to answer your original question I don’t think the wording is anything but a polite response. And generic.