At wait list time, Harvard pulls from Columbia, Columbia pulls from NYU, NYU pulls from Penn, etc, down to the lowest-ranked schools in a competitive line. Despite its name, this chain isn t linear. In fact it looks more like macrame than a linear chain. There are many variables, crossovers, and subloops. Of course, all other things are rarely equal.
Regional preferences can overcome reputation.
Thus Virginia may draw more from Texas than from Northwestern. Even in a single geographic area, preferences can overcome reputation. Cost can overcome reputation. This makes the food chain particularly convoluted in states with good, low-cost public schools. Illinois may draw from Northwestern, Berkeley may draw from Stanford, and UNC may draw from Duke among the state residents accepted at these schools.