Lets say a person has good grades, test scores, and a challenging schedule, but nothing special about their EC’s (just clubs and volunteering, no awards or accomplishments at the national level). But this person also has a genuine and down to earth personality, unlike the more rigid applicants who dont have much of a life/personality beyond their academics. Would this person still be able to get into a very selective college (such as at the Ivy League level) where an applicant is evaluated hollistically? If this person showed their genuine and humble personality in their essays, would they still stand a chance despite their “weak” EC’s?
I guess what I’m trying to ask here is whether personality is a big factor in college admissions
I’m sure personality comes into play for interviews, and the while the essays can demonstrate some of an applicant’s personality, these students are given months to practice and polish these personalized statements, and many people are completely different from their everyday self when speaking from the tip of a (figurative) pen.
I think you are making a big mistake in your judgement of ‘the competition’. The qualities you describe would serve you well in your letters of recommendation I hope, but I do think your accomplishments or character really has to stand out for those uber tough schools as well.
“unlike the more rigid applicants who don’t have much of a life/personality beyond their academics.”
The problem is that the majority of viable candidates for the most selective schools are not like this.
Lots of people have a nice personality. Even my dog has a nice personality, but that doesn’t fast track him for being admitted into Princeton.
^ I don’t know, being another species sounds like a good hook to me! 
Yes, top colleges care about personality. They want nice, genuine kids. But they care about this in addition to academic and extra-curricular accomplishments. They look to GC and teacher letters, and interview impressions, to assess this. Being genuine and down to earth is not a substitute for these things.
If you have good grades, test scores and a challenging schedule, but not a lot else, how are adcoms going to differentiate you from “the more rigid applicants who dont have much of a life/personality beyond their academics”?
If you have a nice personality, then your teacher recs will be stellar. I’m pretty sure that all the top schools mark Character as very important (except for Harvard which marks everything as considered).
Way too many people have a nice personality for it to give you a significant boost, but showing your genuine personality through your essays is very good as many top schools have stressed that they want to see the true you in your essays.