<p>The best thing you could do to improve your chances is to not be Indian/Asian :p</p>
<p>Your best bet is to find something you really enjoy and find a way to make a unique experience out of it. If you love Chinese, maybe you could find the International House in Chicago (or a similar organization) and help immigrants learn to speak and write English. That shows real commitment and would be more impressive than gold medals (winning awards without showing passion for something doesn’t tell admissions that you care. a student can have perfect SAT scores and straight As and could come to their college and fail because he was used to doing well without having to try hard and put in effort)</p>
<p>basically, show commitment and passion in your activities (and in your essays when you get there)</p>