<p>Generally, unless you’re a recruited athlete, you should be in the top 10% of a competitive high school (ie a school that sends about 5% of its kids to ivies) to merit serious consideration with an amazing ec.</p>
<p>You don’t need to be in a competitive high school to get into an Ivy. The majority of admitted students aren’t. You just need to succeed in your particular environment.</p>
<p>I think the true purpose of extracurriculars is to demonstrate passion and dedication to something you love that transcends school. While certainly nothing offsets a lackluster GPA, excellent extracurriculars demonstrate to a college that you are a valuable commodity to their school in ways that cannot be quantized. Defining the strength of extracurriculars is thus, never easy, but you can bet that capturing the admiration of an admissions officer can only help you. My own GPA is less-than-stellar, and I don’t think that kept me from the Ivy League. Be unique. Do something you love and not for college, and you can’t go wrong.</p>