<p>What is NECESSARY to get in? To answer your question, you need:</p>
<p>-Excellent ACT/SAT score (34+ or solid 2200+)
-Top 1% of the class, preferably 1 or 2 (Bit relaxed at the most competitive high schools that send 10+ kids to top 20 schools a year)</p>
<p>If you have a hook (i.e being a URM, legacy applicant, recruited athlete, or child of major donor), than these standards may be considerably relaxed. </p>
<p>But if you are unhooked you absolutely need those requirements to be competitive (in MOST cases. there ARE unhooked students who get in with lower stats, but in much smaller numbers).</p>
<p>Then it comes down to your essays, recommendation letters, EC’s, etc where there is no formula on what will get you in. But you really should have the above stats.</p>