Doing whatever it takes sounds like a good idea. But it can hurt your chances of getting into college.
You miss an "A" by two points in your Spanish class. You argue with your teacher. You try to make a case why you deserve an "A." You get your parents involved and have them put pressure on your teacher and counselor. Eventually, your Spanish teacher relents and gives you an "A-" just so he can be done with it.
Yes, now you've got your "A-." But at what price? Your Spanish teacher and your counselor think you're a whiny grade grubber. They'll think twice before going out of their way to help you in the future. And you can pretty much forget about getting a positive letter of recommendation from either of them.
When parents harangue a counselor because their daughter wasn't accepted into AP English, or when they pull strings with an influential alumni to get their son an interview with the dean of admission, there's a cost to those actions, and it's almost always the student who pays it.
The fact that the goal is to get into college doesn't always justify the action. Think about the resulting cost before you do whatever it takes.