<p>My experience is only with small LACs (as a student adcom myself and then as a parent)--but I think in these settings there is also an effort to look for kids who will contribute to the community and "come into their own" in the liberal arts setting. This does not mean that gpa, stats, etc are not considered--but that there is some effort to look between the lines (of the glowing letters) and the boxes (of score reports) for an element of creativity, character, possibility that is a good fit with something "felt" about that particular campus community. It is not quantifiable and it shifts as a campus evolves but it is the factor that often makes people puzzled about why one kid was admitted and another was not when more obvious factors look "the same". And, not surprisingly, the alum magazines do go on about those who became "stars"--in part because some of them seemed anything but that as freshmen....The saddest thing for me about the college admissions mania is that perpetuates the idea that your fate in life is determined beginning in grade 8 or 9--when in fact the brain is still developing up until age 21--and vast amount of potential and maturation are still unfolding (I'd like to think I'm still in process at 57 actually...)</p>