<p>Of course, all of this “switch” is a matter of our perception. At the colleges themselves, things are much more consistent. They don’t consider themselves “all-powerful” (except for the ones who really sort of are); they are always aware that they are in the business of attracting the best applicants and enrollees that they can. I don’t think any of the admissions people get any pleasure at all out of rejecting qualified applicants. That’s just a necessary, unpleasant part of their job that really only takes up about a month of their time – maybe 10% of it, taking into account vacations.</p>