Here’s one formula we’ve found that’s scarily accurate in predicting admissions chances to the most prestigious colleges.
The amount of time a student spends obsessing about what will get him into a “prestigious college” is almost always inversely proportionate to his chances of actually getting in.
Curiosity, hard work, committing to activities you enjoy, being a nice person people like having around—that’s what makes you an engaged, likeable and interesting person colleges want. Basing every decision on "what will look good to Harvard" doesn’t accomplish any of those things.
The key? Spend less time looking for a magic formula and more time doing this.