Why are recs absolutely necessary at some schools, while not expected at others?

[ASTalumna06]

Originally Posted by DubaiSis

ASTAlumnae06, I think this is pretty close to already reality at the big Southern schools.

If this is the case, how do recs help to "get the numbers down" after round 1, as others have indicated earlier in this thread? I would imagine it would have more to do with the info contained within the rec, rather than whether a PNM has actually obtained one.