@PassionatePoet Trying to predict what a college will want is like predicting your lifespan from tea leaves: it’s just conjecture, really. Sometimes Harvard wants national achievements; sometimes it wants leadership, sometimes volunteer work. Maybe the IPhO medalist will beat the essay writer; maybe the other way around. Is one from a disadvantaged background and has shown remarkable tenacity and success regarding that? Is one a recruited athlete? Is one a child of a major donor? Are both just ordinary kids and it comes down to subjective reading of their applications? MIT may not prefer the medalist–a humanities-driven friend of mine was accepted, while a friend of mine with major ISEF and USAMO victories was not.