<p>Which is better: USABO semis, USNCO semis, AIME (with an AMC score of 126), 2400 SAT, some decent music & athletic ECs, actively involved in clubs</p>
<p>or: USABO finals, AIME (with an AMC score of 90)</p>
<p>So basically, is it better to be really good at one olympiad, or is it better to be more well-rounded w/ other non-science activities as well (but still have a clear science spike)?</p>
<p>BUMP 10 char</p>
<p>generally speaking USABO finals > a bunch of little stuff. Still, you want to show that you do stuff besides sit in your room and read bio textbooks all day long…</p>
<p>It’s a holistic process so you can only compare apples with apples. Music or a strong SAT score might help someone else’s application more than yours. That being said, the order for your first question is</p>
<p>USNCO semis > USABO semis > AIME (with AMC score of 126).</p>
<p>AIME is relatively easy to get into. USNCO has 1000 spots, AIME has 10,000.</p>
<p>And USABO finals > AIME.</p>
<p>I hope you guys don’t live under the delusion that even a remote majority of Harvard students have ever competed in a high level science Olympiad. Because the vast majority have not…and they still got in. I bet a lot of people who did compete in these didn’t get in, too.</p>