The UCs are huge state schools with a mandate to educate the best students from the state. Its about GPA and test scores and in-state residency. You can be pointy or well-rounded: They don’t care. They will invariably have enough oboe-players and writers for the school paper. It’s the smaller, selective private schools that are ‘building a class.’ MIT and Caltech are not at all unusual among highly selective schools in their preference for the unique kids. I would add that the freshman and the transfer who got into Stanford undoubtedly had something to offer that Stanford wanted. (For example, Stanford has a commitment first-generation to college students and tries to take a certain number from the local community colleges for their perspective. I doubt they were simply smart and well-rounded.)