If for example a progam has 20 slots and only 19 applicants, it is quite likely they all will be selected as it costs a fixed amount of money to keep the school open. If you do not have enough students, you either have to raise tuition or let an instructor go. On the other hand if you have 40 applicants, you can be very selective and only take the top 20.
I will be the first to admit some of my fellow CRNAs are not the brightest bulbs in the fixture.
However, the ones that most upset me are the ones who are only in anesthesia for the money. (And that seems to be the focus of their discussions.)