But, he said, "It's not even so much who's qualified. I describe it as thinking about which house you want to buy. Houses have living rooms, kitchens, bathrooms, but it's rare that one house has is better...on every dimension. You see two or three hundred extremely good houses. We have discussions amongst us. What do we think of this person?"

Barbara Lewalski, director of graduate studies for the English department and chair of graduate admissions, said that she and her staff give all applicants "a careful screening."

"[Applications] are read and sifted down. The finalists get down to about 40. They are read by every member of the admissions committee," she said.

Between nine and ten people sit on the admissions committee.

Pouring over the writing samples and debating which among the many highly qualified applicants to accept can be "complicated and arduous," Lewalski said.

Frankie Hoff, who heads the graduate studies program for East Asian Studies, says her staff rates candidates and then compares notes.

Since each of the department looks for different qualifications, the process can be difficult, she says.

Eaton Professor of the Science of Government Robert H. Bates, who chairs the Government Department's admissions committee, said that his department routinely rejects around 150 candidates they could have easily accepted.