- Half or more of the slots in HYPSM and the rest of the Ivies/equivalents (outside of possibly relatively large Cornell) are taken by hooked applicants. And I'm not talking about ECs and essays. Your EC's aren't going to make you URM. Your essays won't make you a recruited athlete or parents rich/famous.
- In the US, top unis have relatively small undergraduate student bodies and this is a large country. At the undergrad level, all of the Ivies/equivalents (outside of Cornell) are smaller than any of Oxbridge/UTokyo/UKyoto/Keio/Waseda. 2 of Oxbridge offer more or as many slots as all of 5 of HYPSM and the UK is 1/5th the population of the US. On a per capita basis, all 2 of Oxbridge has an many slots as all 30 Ivies/equivalents in the US.
Put that all together, and it is exceedingly difficult to get in to HYPSM if you are unhooked and not unique in some way.
However, there is good news:
- Post-COVID, being full-pay likely gives you a leg up outside the Ivies/equivalents tier.
- Undergraduate admissions in the UK is a lot like grad school admissions except for undergrads, which means that care most about academic potential. Getting in to the UK Ivy-equivalents (Oxbridge/LSE/Imperial) is still not easy but you have a better shot if your main strength is being outstanding academically. Admissions to Canadian unis is straightforward as well.
- There are a ton of paths to success in the US. Why are you fixating on HYPSM?