What to do to improve my chances for Stanford, Duke, Harvard, and a few others?

@Corinthian - I wouldn’t say OP is spectacular; his/her extra-curriculars are pretty average compared to those of his/her competition at these top schools.

@ivydreamx - That being said, you do have a shot at some of these schools. Try to find a few that you fit in well with and focus on those. Your URM status will help significantly. Definitely look into Questbridge/diversity programs.