[82lsju]

Now I think truly random admissions wouldn't work because a decent chunk of the applicant pile won't make the most of the university, and therefore would diminish the "returns" for all involved. But I don't think stupac's idea of randomized admissions beyond a certain threshold is that far off - indeed, I'd say it relatively closely describes the present state of affairs. Whatever reason admission officers give for deciding to admit Concert Violinist Applicant A over Concern Violinst Applicants B-E, a different officer could decide differently based on an equally plausible reason, and those differences are all but arbitrary, and therefore relatively random. So I suspect we may be closer to that state of affairs than we might think. The fact that an applicant who gets into all 8 Ivy League schools is still rare enough to be a national news story suggests that even the strongest applicants are rolling the dice with their admissions. 

....

In the mean time, however, on my end there's nothing but gratitude to my alma mater for my time on the Farm, from now until the cows come home.

well as one of the few (maybe only) person here who was both rejected (as a freshman) and accepted (as a sophomore) for undergrad admission I probably have more of a sense of the randomness of admissions decisions.  Even though it took me two tries to get in I do feel a strong connection to the University and very much appreciate by three years as an undergrad, the things I learned, the people I met, and the experiences I had.  I try and maintain those connections (which is relatively easy since I live locally) and value them still.

[82lsju]

Now I think truly random admissions wouldn't work because a decent chunk of the applicant pile won't make the most of the university, and therefore would diminish the "returns" for all involved. But I don't think stupac's idea of randomized admissions beyond a certain threshold is that far off - indeed, I'd say it relatively closely describes the present state of affairs. Whatever reason admission officers give for deciding to admit Concert Violinist Applicant A over Concern Violinst Applicants B-E, a different officer could decide differently based on an equally plausible reason, and those differences are all but arbitrary, and therefore relatively random. So I suspect we may be closer to that state of affairs than we might think. The fact that an applicant who gets into all 8 Ivy League schools is still rare enough to be a national news story suggests that even the strongest applicants are rolling the dice with their admissions. 

....

In the mean time, however, on my end there's nothing but gratitude to my alma mater for my time on the Farm, from now until the cows come home.

well as one of the few (maybe only) person here who was both rejected (as a freshman) and accepted (as a sophomore) for undergrad admission I probably have more of a sense of the randomness of admissions decisions.  Even though it took me two tries to get in I do feel a strong connection to the University and very much appreciate by three years as an undergrad, the things I learned, the people I met, and the experiences I had.  I try and maintain those connections (which is relatively easy since I live locally) and value them still.