Bob Carlton of College Matchpoint writes about the students they worked with who got into the uber-selective top 25. Straight A’s and involvement aren’t enough. He lists these common factors:

1. Applying early
2. High SAT or ACT scores
3. Consistent fit to major
4. Essays that come to life
5. Showing impact, not just involvement

Remember, too, that a 5% acceptance rate of 100,000 applicants means that 95,000 applicants, most of whom were technically admissible, were rejected. Carlton goes into detail in his blog, linked here.

https://www.collegematchpoint.com/from-stanford-to-barnard-the-new-rules-of-admissions-at-the-25-most-competitive-schools