<p>@finifugal</p>
<p>No. of ECs is not as important as dedication & achievement. I’d say an applicant with 2 interests - debating & football, who has been pursuing both for 4 years and has won several awards would be more desirable than an applicant with 10 ECs spread over 4 years with no real dedication. </p>
<p>So don’t just try to show extra ECs - it won’t help. Your ECs show dedication & you can actually do wonders by talking about them in your essays !!</p>
<p>As far as universities having “international pools” - it isn’t an official quota as such.
I think it’s best to not concern yourself with that while applying, you’ll just feel bad about yourself.</p>
<p>Also, I noticed your list contains only Ivy/Top universities. There are many other great universities who aren’t need blind but would probably accept you with aid - Rice, Duke, UChicago, etc & LACs.</p>
<p>As far as ATAR results, that isn’t an important factor in admission decisions. So whether or not you apply ED shouldn’t be based . Colleges want to see good consistent performance. If your school’s grading policy is strict, make your counselor mention it in the school profile. Also indicate your class rank to show how you’re performance compares against that of the class.</p>