I suspect you think too highly of other applicants. The average GPA for applicants for many schools is 3.6-3.8/4.0. Writing samples are usually not flawless and usually still not of publishable quality. I tend to hear that 1 big factor for getting into schools is fit with the dept. So, even if a student's sample might not be as good as others, they might be preferable all things considered.
Don't need to be embarrassed if you didn't get in this year. It's an extremely competitive year due to schools suspending or reducing applications. Also, the acceptance rates on a normal year is already extremely low, and you're competing with many strong applicants.
Btw here's some estimated stats on acceptance rates based off previous years in case other people ask.
New York - 6/300 (2%)
Rutgers 7/300 (2.33%)
YaleU - 5/300 (1.67%)
UCLA - 6/200 (3%)
UPenn - 6/120 (5%)
Notre Dame - 10/250 (4%)
UWisconsin, Madison - 6/200 (3%)
Washington University in St. Louis - 6/120 (5%)
UMass - 5/80 (6.25%)
Georgetown - 5/200 (2.5%)
UC Santa Barbara - 4/70 (5.7%)
McGill - 7/150 (4.67%)
Baylor - 5/100 (5%)
To note: Notice that acceptance rates are low even at lower ranked and unranked schools.