There is no set of numbers that form the minimum guarantee of an admission offer at places like BYU. So enough about "my niece had this GPA, this ACT, and this number of activities. How could she not get in?"

The definition of selective admissions is the fact that good students are going to be denied. There are only so many students that can be admitted otherwise you overburden your campus with a larger than intended freshman class.

If the number and quality of the applicant pool puts your cherished niece in the shallow end, it doesn't change the fact that she's a great kid who will do well. It just means that the admissions office fulfilled their duty--which is not to sweet, little Sally, but to the campus community.