I am not sure why you are surprised. The entire process is fucking ridiculous. We are pressure cooking these kids, distorting the educational system, significantly harming adolescent well being and mental health, and the process is being gamed by the institutions. UATX is not the first to observe this, and certainly won't be the last. I actually love the simplicity of "list three verifiable achievements, each described in a single sentence." Package that up with some scores and get on with making some decisions.
Maybe some of y'all just need to hear it from other sources to avoid the reflex.
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/03/where-admissions-went-wrong/475575/
https://www.newyorker.com/news/our-columnists/the-particular-misery-of-college-admissions-tiktok
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/01/opinion/college-admissions-applications.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/scottwhite/2025/02/18/the-college-admissions-crisis-how-scarcity-economics-is-failing-our-students/
Oh gee, look at that...