<p>Do the math....when DS applied to Boston University, they had over 20,000 applicants. It is very clear that there is a process to go through these. From what I understand, there is an initial look...and this doesn't take long. The applications are sorted into possible and not possible piles. The possibles are then reviewed looking at more specifics. But the reality is that with that many applications mostly being processed between the end of January and the beginning of April, there can't be a LOT of time spent pouring over each item. And yes...at some schools the first sort DOES come on the basis of GPA, SAT, etc...stats.</p>