<p>DAndrew, you did him a disservice to suggest that there must have been a “real reason” for his results. A brilliant full-pay student is not a shoo-in at any school. There’s no need to insinuate something “must be wrong” with his recs.</p>
<p>The established pre-preps, preparing their students for the established prep schools, all run significant sports programs. They also encourage students to participate in community service, student government, the arts, etc. If you look at their web pages, you’ll see that they keep their students busy.</p>
<p>The posters on CC, many of whom come from different settings, prioritize academic “stats.” The prep schools do like to see a certain level of academic potential, but the schools do not think of themselves as only a collection of classrooms with a certificate at the end. They speak of themselves as communities or families. </p>
<p>The same sort of thing is happening on the college side of College Confidential. Some students are complaining that they weren’t accepted by certain prestigious schools, that “students with lower stats” were accepted. Holistic admissions. If you google that term, you will find many attempts to explain it. Here’s an MIT blog: [In</a> Praise Of Holistic Admissions | MIT Admissions](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/in-praise-of-holistic-admissions]In”>In Praise Of Holistic Admissions | MIT Admissions).</p>
<p>For the OP: you and your parents should speak with the counselors at your school. Ask if they can think of any reason for your results. That might give you ideas about what to work on for next year, or four years from now, when you apply to college.</p>