I just wanted to add the comment that while I don’t think the admissions decisions are exactly personal, there are times/students when it is going to feel personal. I have posted fairly often about a friend of my daughter’s: 4.0 UW GPA, 8 APs, all 5’s by the time of college application, 2 languages to AP level and a third studied in college classes while in high school, 2 years of college math beyond AP calc BC, 2400 SAT I in 1 try, 2400 SAT II in one sitting, varsity athletics, state-level awards, though just one variety of national-level recognition. Then add the necessity of writing essays that are actually pretty deeply personal. In circumstances like these, the decision is likely to feel personally based. I wouldn’t blame someone with this sort of qualifications who feels that way. Subsequent achievements have been consistent with the objective profile at the point of college application.