Anon Mrs –
But theory goes out the window when the board has to rubber-stamp an application from a child that is really not going to cooperate (rampant chutzpha, for which he was kicked out of the previous school) or abide by school rules (school says no logo polo shirts in 7 grade, and the applicant shows up the interview in a Tommy Hilfiger polo), yet the Vaad gets a call from the top donor, because the applicant is in the same shul / summer resort (I would call in a bungalow colony, but folks with that much clout hardly live in what you would call a bungalow).