Make sure to get some quality recs as well. For these top schools, amazing recs will most definitely get you over the hump. If I’m not mistaken, teacher recs are weighted as much as GPA/Test Scores/EC’s/Essays which is pretty significant. Considering most people already have good grades/EC’s and will most likely spend a lot of time on the essays, finding a teacher that knows you (in a class that you participated a lot in), is crucial.