<p>OP: You have been given great advice thus far from many of the posters who have responded…it seems to me what you are seeking is the “magic formula” to get into schools like Harvard…similar to many other posters who are seeking the “holy grail” of single-capital-letter-identifiable schools…</p>
<p>…let me put it bluntly, there is no “magic formula”…and there is no “secret sauce” that we can all consistently point to that determines whether one gets in or not…</p>
<p>…like Gibby, those of us that have been fortunate enough to have children get into the so-called TOP schools and attend as students…may seem to hold some godly wisdom…but even we cannot divine what each “applicant” brings to the table other than some random statistics written on CC boards…it is very different than having a “complete” record, resume, ESSAYS, RECOMMENDATIONS, along with the personal “interview” that the college admissions officers are privy to. Even the so-called “interviewers” who often participate on these CC forums are “practically blind” to your file…I should know…I use to interview when I was younger…</p>
<p>…if it helps any…I can at least say that both my children had at least one or more of the “WOW” factors that I and many other wise parents have posted in the past…you can look them up…</p>
<p>…and I am sure Gibby’s children got into their respective schools for a different set of reasons…</p>
<p>…every child, every student who gets into these schools get in on their own “merits” with their individual “identity” by and large…and we, the parents, are there for the ride…</p>