That "more," he suggests, occurs in more subjective characteristics like generosity, friendliness and a good understanding of the academic side of residential community, not to mention whether they can have fun.

"We didn't pepper them with questions," McAfee adds. "The whole point was to get a sense of their fit. It was the something else that was tremendously crucial."

Do You Promise Not to Tell?

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But perhaps the most crucial aspect of the entire process, all say, is maintaining a high degree of confidentitality to protect the interests of current candiates. Elementary statistics dictate that the majority of the candidates will not be chosen for the current vacancy at hand.

Lewis acknowledges the difficulty of maintaining this level of privacy is not lost on him, even as the advisory committees walk through House dining halls with candidates at their side.

"It does require a degree of privacy for something that is relatively public," Lewis says.

He says that although there is an interest in keeping master candidates' names out of the student press, there intent is not to keep people totally in the dark. McAfee points out that no one likes to be known as an "also-ran," especially someone who may be considered for another mastership in the future.

The End Result