<p>I wouldn’t say random, as I would more say subjective. The applicant pool is really competitive and they can’t accept everyone. So they have to create ways to get rid of those who are qualified. That is where the personal information comes in (recs, essays, etc). Since each adcom is a human, there are certain things, each person will like more than others. So its subjective in the way that you have to appeal to someone you have no idea about lol.</p>