<p>Remember there are supplemental questions also, that shows the fit to the adcoms.
They are always looking for students that fit their school profile.</p>
<p>Again, my personal opinion, but tracking admissions in our local schools, Caltech seems very academic (strong math/science track and ECs), so is MIT, Harvard tends to take the leaders (captains, valedectorians, perfect scorers). Yale and Columbia are kind of more all rounded so is Stanford and maybe Princeton (to some degree) Some may weigh legacy more than others. And yes, it also depends on the class they are building. Again just my observations…Also at least in CA, there seems to be more Stanford acceptances than Harvard… maybe local high schools have better visibility and yield are a factor. Stanford takes a lot of potential Div 1 athletes who are also at the top of academics (they dont have to be academic superstars but think 4.0 with not as many APs…). Some kids get recruited right from junior year of high school.</p>
<p>Yes, and the previous responder said , some - the superstars, international medal winners, incredibly talented artistically…combined with their top notch academics .are sought by all.</p>