<p>In my (observed) experience, kids who look like legitimate HYP candidates – and that’s not just stats – don’t get rejected from every LAC if they apply to a few. It helps, of course, to apply to some of the larger ones (e.g. Wesleyan, Middlebury, Oberlin), and not just the tiny ones (e.g., Amherst, Haverford). It also helps to go against type a little. This is an area where being an Asian pre-med is a plus, but it’s a lot more of a plus at Wesleyan than at Harvey Mudd.</p>