<p>The following thread is more to the point of the OP. It is entitled "is it just me or have we screwed ourselves?"</p>
<p>This current thread entitled "do you have to be an expert on college admissions to be accepted?" has turned into one more thread on how to game the system. BTW, I don't agree that you only have to be an expert on admissions if you are pushing the envelope. Everyone agrees that being accepted at extremely selective schools is a lottery. The other term often used is that it is a crap shoot.</p>