<p>Wadup. . . </p>
<p>While ISEF is a true top tier award, such an honor alone (or even in conjunction with lots of other stuff) doesn’t get you in - I wish it did. I personally know a first place ISEF winner (one of 34 who won first place awards in 17 categories and whose work was done completely in a HS lab working alone), who was rejected from Stanford (with a bit higher GPA and subject scores, same ACT), and waitlisted to a couple of Ivies. That person is attending Princeton as a BSE.</p>
<p>The acceptance process is a mysterious black box about which we can only hypothesize.</p>
<p>I would agree with a statement that the OP will have some great choices come April.</p>