neonerudite, the OP’s GPA and extracurricular are not “fantastic”. They are “fine”. I guess that captures a very pervasive problem. I’ve said it is the “Self Esteem” movement coming back to bite us in the… Everybody is viewed as “amazing” because they are so invested in being viewed that way. Students are busying themselves to such an extent that they have no time to think. I don’t mean they have no time to study and memorize. But few are scholars in the sense of being an independent thinking person who is curious about how the world and universe works. Instead, the lions share of students are racking up “hours”, titles, and lines on their future college applications. Now here is the paradox, the more those students work at racking up just the right tidbits for their resume, the less appealing they will be to the very schools they are most interested in gaining access to.
Why? Because aside from some very specific categories of students (and some schools at the top of that list don’t accept on the basis of any those categories-like legacy or donation-likely students), these schools are interested in selecting students most likely to “set the world on fire” in a positive way-they are looking for the game changers…world changers. And, you can’t be a game changer if you are so busy trying to be the best at the games as they are now played. That is why these schools have such a hard time conveying to the public how they select students. It isn’t that they are purposely trying to exclude or include particular demographics-something that was true a while ago-but they are looking for the students who not only think “outside the box” but those who haven’t even noticed there is a box because they are not conventional thinkers to begin with.
There was a time when scores and grades may have identified those students most apt to be game changers. But when everyone has perfect grades and when ACT/SAT tutors are lined up by middle school, perfect grades and perfect scores don’t separate the scholars and exceptional thinkers from the ho hum. So the schools at the tippy top look for other ways to do that. And, long lists of ECs, hundreds of volunteer hours and an extensive list of new clubs founded is not the way. They are looking for the students who would have done just what they did if they were never going to apply to a single college and, when it comes to volunteering, never told a soul they did what they did-because after all, true charity work is about doing beneficial things not getting credit. And among those driven by interest rather than resume building, the very top schools are interested in those students whose accomplishments are already stunning.
So the answer for OP : There is nothing you can do to make yourself a good bet for Harvard except perhaps to try to be eligible for one of those categories that get a pass in terms of exceptionality. Get yourself into a family with the kind of money that can be donated to fund buildings. Become good enough in a sport that you can earn a slot on a team but don’t be so dedicated that Kansas or Connecticut would be a better choice.
Alternatively, you can be involved in activities for the sake of your interests and see where that leads you.