<p>I’d say that there is no “formula”, just a criteria at which some is accepted.
Stats, I would say mean at most 20% of the app.
I got in with 1870/2400 on SAT I and that’s barely “average”
You have better luck with your essay, and they are human so that they can tell if you’re lying. The essay has to make you sound very very different and probably put a twist to that. No one wants to hear a generic essay.
There’s a whole lot more ways a person will choose a student to attend, it IS a person reading you application, and I DON’T THINK IT WOULD BE RIGHT TO MAKE A LIST OF THINGS TO INCLUDE IN AN APP JUST TO MAKE YOU IVY “WORTHY”, like try to beat the system.</p>