Although I understand the college admissions process can be stressful, and frustrating, and {insert adjective}, the issue is that more and more students and their families are focused on prestige each year. That’s a big part of the problem.
The reality is that most colleges accept most applicants, and most students don’t have a 4 year in person college experience, hence we are talking about a relatively small proportion of people…so, many days I feel that this admissions nonsense is much adieu about nothing. I would rather see all these smart people focused on improving K-12 schools, or making college more affordable (e.g., free CC).