SuddenlyParanoid: application star or greatest troll ever?

[Charlie2010]

This is all pretty funny. I'm a faculty member who served on an admissions committee this year. This guy does exist, is easily identifiable (as are several of you) if one has to look at the 50 or so files that are of a similar caliber (across all subfields) and thereby know their scores, essays, etc. I admit I have better things to do with my time but the alternative leisure activity is watching sitcoms and watching your board is an easy thing to jump to when I'm stuck on a research question and want a break. (You can now debate whether I'm for real. Believe what you want.)

[transcendentalist]

> I was once told that the top universities actually communicate to each other which applicants they accept

This is true though the contacts are not formalized and are idiosyncratic. It's more about finding someone you know on their admissions committee.

> in order to avoid sending admissions to the same top candidates

This is false. Top departments compete with each other on everything, and there is no good mechanism to enforce this purported commitment.

The SP affair gives me new respect for Christians. It is an unlikely story superficially if you don't know the process, but I have seen the person for myself and know of several people at admitting departments that have made a decision. But to the agnostic, the threatened, or the outright afraid, this might as well just be ranting about a bearded mystic I saw at a seafood shack.

[qazwerty]

This is all pretty funny. I'm a faculty member who served on an admissions committee this year. This guy does exist, is easily identifiable (as are several of you) if one has to look at the 50 or so files that are of a similar caliber (across all subfields) and thereby know their scores, essays, etc. I admit I have better things to do with my time but the alternative leisure activity is watching sitcoms and watching your board is an easy thing to jump to when I'm stuck on a research question and want a break. (You can now debate whether I'm for real. Believe what you want.)

I know Charlie2010 and I can confirm that he is real!

[Shere Khan]

The SP affair gives me new respect for Christians. It is an unlikely story superficially if you don't know the process, but I have seen the person for myself and know of several people at admitting departments that have made a decision. But to the agnostic, the threatened, or the outright afraid, this might as well just be ranting about a bearded mystic I saw at a seafood shack.

Congratulations, SuddenlyParanoid. You are the proof that God exists

...

[curufinwe]

Did he post his stats on here? so that it'll be possible to decide what are the upper limits of certain factors that separate him from us and we can try to better ourselves with respect to those criteria?