Could it be that the person with the 196 has a science paper?
it's not all about the score
My scores are fine, but they're hardly germane to the discussion. Neither are those of the people whose credentials just got publicly dragged through the mud. Standards are about more than scores, aren't they? I feel like if I were a program director, I too would take my colleagues' opinions into consideration.
Dude. Idk if he/she did have a science paper, but he/she probably has a lot to make up for that score. Also, it's likely the UC in question ended up matching way down their rank list and in a sense, "ended up with him/her". There was some great competition this year for the best and a lot of confusion with all the UCs and their PD/chair statuses.
I know we live in an era where facts don't matter...... But why the F are you people taking the words of a bunch of trolls at their face value? I mean come on how do you even know those step scores are real. Here's a hint: they aren't