It might be harder to get into the School of Computer Science now, but I don’t think it was then. The computer departments were rated about the same even then (four way tie with Berkeley and Standford), but CMU overall is always rated lower. I think if kids were admitted to both schools, most chose MIT unless they really did their homework or had other reasons to prefer being in the Pittsburgh area.
@tutumom2001 your comment really resonated with me. I show in a lot of local art shows and I am very familiar with the subjectivity of judging. You can’t let it bother you. And don’t let me even get started on what architectural critiques are like!