For top 10, esp. top 5,6,

soft qualities - such as essay, ref letters, passion (displayed), personality, the perceived "fit" with the school ... are the deciding factors.

At my kid's school, there are quite a few examples that the 2nd-tier (academic wise) students got into top 5, but 1st-tier ones were shut out from the top 5,6, or even top 10.

A boy with SAT 2400, Siemens regional, national debate, 3 scientific publications, music award, 3 leadership positions... very impressive (my kid said he is one of the best students at school - one of the top schools in nation).

So far he only got state U acceptance.  M, Caltech and even Chicago all rejected. EA Stanford was an outright rejection, not even deferred.

I hope he gets a few top picks next week.