<p>It goes without saying that people who are prodigies and demonstrate the intelligence and academic background to succeed at a place like Harvard will have a big advantage. However, such people are rare, so few people in any Harvard class are like, for instance a Yoyo Ma, who was already a world famous cellist by the time he went to Harvard.</p>
<p>The other type of people who stand out in the admissions pool are those who have pursued their interests above and beyond what is typical, and who have done such things through their own efforts, not as a result of their parents' deep pockets.</p>
<p>Thus, a student who loves the French language, has done so well in h.s. French that they are the only student in the high school who is taking French at a collegiate level would stand out. They would, however, stand out even more if they had, for instance, worked a job in order to fund themselves on a trip to France or Quebec. Another example: If they had spearheaded a schoolwide fundraising campaign to help the hurricane victims in Haiti. </p>
<p>A student who has done exceptionally well in French because they have French speaking parents who took them to France every year and who also sent them to expensive French camps would not stand out in an elite college admissions pool. Their skills would simply be due to good luck, not to their own passion and work ethic.</p>
<p>A student interested becoming a doctor would stand out if, for instance, they had gotten so into the research required for a paper for their chemistry class that they contacted a local college chemistry professor and became that person's longterm mentee. </p>
<p>I know someone who got so into an 8th grade science project that he established a relationship with a local physicist, and that led to the student's getting a lab tech job that started when the student was in 9th grade. The student's research as totally self-driven. He wasn't pushed by scientist parents. He wasn't trying to pad his resume, but was simply pursuring his interests. This is the kind of thing that impresses top colleges.</p>
<p>Frankly, very few people, including very smart people, become so interested in intellectual pursuits that they create opportunities for themselves. People who lack such passions don't understand what drives people to do things that aren't required for class or aren't directly spelled out by colleges as part of their requirements. </p>
<p>Yes, there really are students who write things that mean something to otheres and aren't just their experiences. They are rare, but they exist. It is these kind of rare abilities and achievements -- coupled with strong stats and a strong curriculum - -that lead to acceptance at places like HPYS. </p>
<p>This isn't something that one can fake or manufacture. One is either born like this or one isn't. The people who can understand what I am describing are probably the ones who pursue intellectual passions themselves.</p>