3. Although students admitted to these top universities have a strong academic profile, that is not the only element that admissions officers take into consideration. They look at the individual and leadership skills, as well as involvement with the community, the programs they took over their four summers in high school, their letters of recommendation and student essay; this is because they aim to admit students with unique and interesting life experiences. So, if your kid has an unusual story (if he/she opened his/her own business as a teenager or if he/she excelled at one particular extracurricular activity, or if he/she had to take on family responsibilities early on), make sure he/she writes about it in his/her essay.
