<p>coureur: Maybe it is only semantics, but at HYPSM, even after they deny the majority of applicants, they do have 4 or 5 almost identical applicants for each open slot and they only have room for 1. I don't think that the adcoms draw names out of a hat, but when the decision is made on whether the applicant's father is a doctor or a car salesman or when it is based on what the an adcom had for lunch, then I would call it random.</p>
<p>There are three strong indicators of this. One, people who apply to several ivies are accepted or denied randomly among the schools that they applied to. Two, the size of the waitlist is often longer than the list of accepted applicants. I think it is easier for the adcoms to waitlist someone rather than deny them immediately after denying the person's clone. Three, adcoms say that they could completely throw out the accepted applicants and start over again with who is left, and still have as strong a class as they originally had.</p>