Imagine a job where you are the earthly equivalent of St. Peter: You hold the keys to a heavenly college. Each winter, dozens of young adults voluntarily queue up at your noble gates by submitting an application that might allow the portals of higher education to swing open.

Imagine being a college admissions dean.

Admissions deans are not saints, but they will readily admit that their decisions to accept or deny applicants are never made lightly. They also will say the residual effect of those decisions, especially the denial of qualified applicants, can be painful.

"It feels terrible," said Susan Donegan, associate dean of admissions at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. "The vast majority of the applicants at Hamilton are capable of doing the work, but we just don't have the spaces for all of our qualified applicants. It's our job to recruit a class of students whom we believe will be the best fit for Hamilton. That's the tough part."

That provides little comfort for highly qualified applicants who are denied and who feel they ARE the right fit, but Donegan says Hamilton is trying to craft a diverse class, with "people who love physics and people who love English. We want people who are strong in a variety of ways here on campus. That's what we spend hours on evaluating the applicants. It's difficult to explain to a denied student or family about the intangibles that we use to create a class."

Still, Donegan admits that this is a tough time for her. "It's the people that I have met and have gotten to know in this process. For many students, Hamilton is their dream, and I have felt at times that I am bursting their dream. Even though it's not me personally, I still feel their disappointment."

Donegan says that when a qualified applicant is denied, it's usually because there simply was a better applicant for Hamilton's immediate needs. "That's what I need to do; though it's a challenge, that's my job."

Richard Shaw, dean of admissions at Stanford University, agrees. "It's always difficult when you're having to say no to nine out of 10 kids. It's the hardest part of the work that we do. We have spectacularly capable applicants, and most would certainly meet the expectations of the classroom, so it's a very difficult process, which we take seriously. This is an art, not a science, and we make the best judgment possible."

Despite the agony, Shaw said he feels relief and happiness at the end of the evaluation process. "This is a great week because we will bring joy to some. We bring some closure to the process even for young people who don't prevail. At least it allows them to move on."

Shaw says there is also consolation in the knowledge that most students, even those denied at Stanford, fare well in the process. "Most of the kids who apply to Stanford get into other marvelous colleges and universities around the country. They can now move to celebrating the final part of the senior year and graduation and the transition to college. In that way, I find it to be a period of passage for seniors."

His message to disappointed parents and students is to "celebrate what you have. Many kids tell me they have other great colleges, and parents are often far more upset than the kids. The key here is for families to rally around the options and move forward."

Students may move forward, but for admissions deans, college admissions is a year-round process, and there is little time to rest. Although Shaw is a runner and enjoys a good game of golf, he has yet to try some new clubs given to him when he came to Stanford two years ago. Once the newly admitted students have notified Shaw of their intent to attend Stanford, things will calm down and Shaw will have more time for his family and exercise. "Last week, I filled the tires in my bike and rode."

Joanne Levy-Prewitt is an independent college admissions adviser who works with students in the San Francisco area. E-mail her at jklprewitt@gmail.com.