Although the various threads here may suggest the contrary, success and happiness are a pathless land. There are numerous ways to achieve them and each path has its own combination of perceived intelligence, hard work, choices, and luck. You have to decide your path! Probably, your path is a combination of a 4.0 GPA + No ECs + Lots of hard work + enough luck. In the end, you’ll reach the same destination as some of the high stats kids you see here but you have to be honest about your path and enjoy the journey.