“ If they don’t have the skills by now to discern the rare genuine achiever from the standard high-pressure, formulaic (or by-the-book, I should say) achiever, then that’s too bad. “
@eatsleepmath I don’t think you are getting what a few posters are trying to point out. You are obviously a great student with first-rate ECs and a stellar SAT score. The issue is how you come across in writing to people who don’t know you personally. You imply you should have great LOCs, so maybe you are a super nice guy without a touch of arrogance in person…but the issue is, it will be your writing - your essays - the admissions folks will see (apart from the LOCs) when they try to get a sense of who you are personally. [That and the interview, though I am not sure how much weight, if any, the interview has in admissions.].
Throughout this thread, you’ve made statements like the one I quoted above, that come across as arrogant, at least to me and to several others…which means an admissions officer might see it that way as well. We are trying to be helpful - if you come across as arrogant in your essays, then it will not matter how great you are in all other areas. If the admissions person who reads your app does not like you (based on whatever personality traits are relayed through your essay), then you will not be admitted.
No one - no one at all - has such amazing stats that an admissions committee at HYP will forgive an essay that comes across as arrogant.
Again, I believe people are trying to be helpful here. I understand you are probably a wonderful person and a brilliant scholar, etc. - but do be aware of how you come across in writing to people who do not know you. That kind of thing matters very much in college admissions.