Well, some lessons from the article:
#1: Don’t apply for biological sciences (which, on top of it, have very poor job prospects). Also:
Majors matter, they say.(…)Almost half of the students applied to just six of 85 majors — with biological sciences the top choice, selected by nearly 12,000 applicants. Other popular majors were business administration, nursing science, computer science and psychology.
(…) Reviewers took a close look at whether students took a progression of increasingly more challenging math classes, including college-level AP courses.
(…)
admissions officers wanted active, engaged learners who involved themselves in their school and community. Even during the pandemic, did they seek out opportunities to learn through TED Talks? Did they volunteer for online tutoring or help family members stricken with COVID-19?
(…)
UC application readers also look for persistence, resilience and grit — low-income students who had to work multiple jobs, for instance, to support their families and still excelled in a rigorous curriculum.
In other words, keep learning, ace AP classes, continue with your current activities, hold on to a job… You don’t need something you’d start senior year.
BTW, for Questbridge, your odds are better at LACs in the Midwest & New England where you’d have a hook for diversity (both geographical and being AAPI) so, start learning about them and find some you like.