<p>ace48225 gives a good list of what is considered as amazing extracurriculars; there’s a more extensive list here <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/1378919-reboot-ish-list-ranked-prestigious-awards.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/high-school-life/1378919-reboot-ish-list-ranked-prestigious-awards.html</a> .
As for how HSSEAS places an applicant’s scores as a priority; UCLA’s common data set lists Rigor of secondary school record, Academic GPA, Standardized test scores, and Application essay as “very important”. They are all under the Academic section (the other two in the section are Class Rank and Recommendations, which are not considered). Comparatively, non-academics such as Extracurricular activities, Talent/ability, Character/personal qualities, Volunteer work, and Work experience are all listed under “important” - they definitely play a part in admissions, but aren’t as much of a priority.</p>