Actually competition hasn't made it harder. We still accept about the same proportion of applicants as we always have. References count for a lot if they're u

Actually competition hasn't made it harder. We still accept about the same proportion of applicants as we always have. References count for a lot if they're unequivocal and from people we respect, and hardly at all otherwise. People try lots of stunts, but I don't think we've ever had our opinion influenced positively by one. Negatively, yes.