<p>There is SOME luck. For example, you can be lucky that you had the opportunity to pursue activities outside of school. Lucky that someone inspired you to learn a subject or explore it further. </p>
<p>And admissions is BS a little. I got into HYPS but was waitlisted and Cornell and Penn… go figure. </p>
<p>My BEST advice (and I wish someone told me this in September when I started looking at the applications, I guess I had to learn it the hard way) is to be disgustingly honest in everything you write. No fluff. (Looking back, thats probably why Cornell and Penn didn’t take me).</p>