He was told that Ms. Reist's father had been a medievalist and comparative literature professor at Columbia, and that his daughter and Ms. Reist had been best friends since they attended kindergarten at the Chapin School.

WSJ: Step by Step to Love

The organization declined to make any changes then, saying individual schools could offer extensions to affected families, said Patricia Hayot, a designated spokeswoman for the group and head of school at Chapin, a Manhattan private school.

WSJ: Admissions Deadline Confusion