But admissions officers say they can see through that, too.

But they leave little room for the judgment of admissions officers.

Part of the problem is in the very way affirmative action works, some admissions officers say.

The problem is, nobody really believes admissions officers when they say such things.

Why should students accept them as equal if the admissions officers don't?

But some admissions officers say they've seen declines of 10 points or more this year.

Understanding this, admissions officers are happy to admit so many students early.

Admissions officers are under pressure to take such students, but do not want to look compromised.

A championship sports team can help, too, almost all admissions officers agree.

Instead, admission officers use the entire list to take their pick to round out the freshman class the way they want.