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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Re: Random

I think that the admissions process is random in the sense of statistics, where different cases have different probabilistic outcomes, rather than random in the sense that there is no process at all. Clearly there are important things to do to be in the range to be considered at highly selective schools (strong academics, other interest areas, etc.) but there are also factors at play that aren't under the control of anyone. The first big one is who else is applying? Perhaps one year, there is only one award winning French Horn player applying and they stand out to the admissions committee, but in a different year there are 100, so no one stands out. The second big factor is the order the admissions committee fills their spaces. Some students may be clear admits for various reasons, but then others are chosen to "round out" the class. I found it interesting that an MIT admissions officer said that they had admitted a fantastic class, but that they could set aside all of those students and admit a completely different, but equally fantastic class.

When you can take a given set of candidates and run it through the admissions process 1000 times and come up with different answers every time (although individual students have different probabilities from 0%-100% admission), I'd call that random.[/quote]

Exactly. This is what I was trying to articulate; thank you![/quote]

You can call it Random, or Felix, or Pastrami Sandwich, but that doesn't make it any one of those.  And you have no evidence that the "1000 times different answer every time" thing is true.

Also your french horn example [i]supports the opposite position[/i], because in case A it is one person standing out from the rest, making it [b]not random[/b], and the other case of 100 out of 30,000, making it [b]also not random[/b]... and guess how they choose the one french horn player out of 100?  I'll give you a hint: not at random.

You can have all your theories and thought experiments you want -- every book, every adcom, every person who has ever been involved in elite college admissions will tell you the selection process is deliberate and highly considered. You do a disservice to applicants and their families when you tell them it is random.  It can do real damage and you should reconsider saying it.

Tell you what -- find me one elite adcom who says it is random and I will make a $100 donation to the charity of your choice.

[/quote]

No adcom would ever say it’s random in a public comment. Come on now. [/quote]

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