<p>The vast majority of unhooked students at ivies other than Cornell were top 2 in their high school class. If your high school is very cometitive this is less important. Also a great help if you are from a state that is not well represented. With an under 7% acceptance rate Harvard is tough even for the very top student with outstanding ECs, so try several top colleges with an over 15% acceptance rate where it’s less random who gets in.</p>