“Likewise, “interest” is not just visiting or being on an email list. It’s more to do with your match and how you understand it. Match to what they promote and want, not just what you want. If you can’t answer a Why Us, it you write your supp in ways that seem offhand or incomplete thinking, etc, they have trouble seeing your true “interest.” If you are truly vested in this college, you know it better, right?”
There is a name for this in the larger world - Marketing. Segment your potential customer base, tailor your offerings to what you think the customer wants, promote your product and sell, sell, sell. If you are 18 years old and have no idea how to sell yourself, then go out and hire someone who has already segmented the customer base, analyzed the needs of your particular customers, and can walk you through creating an application that fills those needs. And as most of us can glean from the world of advertising, truth is fungible in the marketing world, so exaggerate and plagiarize as necessary to get the job done. I don’t know if the top schools are trying to choose the best Marketing talent (or students with families rich enough to hire the best Marketing talent), but that is the world they have created.
Some of us are frustrated because the skills you need to get accepted at top schools (self-promotion, leadership at all costs, standing out over fitting in, etc.) don’t jibe with the way we are trying to raise children (humility, modesty, teamwork, honesty, independence, etc.). Sad for us, but really sadder for these schools which are encouraging students to make glossy brochures instead of better products, to use another business analogy. If it was just a crapshoot, I’d be fine with it. Putting all the qualified kids in a hat (with separate hats for URM’s, First Gen, etc.) and picking a class would be a better system than the one they use now.