Comment by nilkn

Just because it doesn't surprise you doesn't mean it's okay. You have to acknowledge that as an admissions consultant you're part of a small gatekeeping community bubble. Even though I attended one of these schools, I can recognize that universities have been rapidly losing their credibility, and this is only going to accelerate that trend. And by the way, this person is probably more accomplished than I am, even though I am now quite a bit older and my essay was apparently good enough to tick off the checkboxes.

The question you need to be asking is how the university system made an enemy out of someone who is clearly one of the most talented members of his age cohort in the nation. That's a failure no matter how hard you try to explain or justify the status quo. It's time for some real accountability and soul searching from the system, not excuses. Trying to nit pick the essay and pointing out how he should have done X or Y instead is completely missing the point.