<p>Acceptance to the Ivy Leagues was harder this year than pretty much any year, according to all the articles I've been reading lately. So those who were accepted (unless they had legacy connections, etc) each must have had SOMETHING special to offer the school. They have to accept great kids in order to keep their prestige up. </p>
<p>The danger is when people (whether Ivy League admissions officers, the College Board, or even us) believe that a 2400 on the SAT's or a 5.0 GPA should be the main criteria for admissions. Every applicant is different and it's important to look at their WHOLE application, rather than just numbers.</p>
<p>Nevertheless, with the ridiculously low acceptance rates at these Ivies, I believe that all the rejected people will help bring what US News seems to view as second-tier schools up higher. Tufts, for instance, was accepting about 44% of applicants about ten years ago, I believe. And this year, it was around 26%. There are so many great institutions out there, and I think they will be getting some long overdue recognition in the coming years.</p>