Gaining admission to prestigious American universities requires much more than good grades and high standardized test scores. Admissions committees don’t admit numbers; they admit persons with compelling stories. Such a story will partially be composed of a student’s non-academic experiences, but its most important components will be experiences like uncommon academic proficiencies, school activities, internships, study abroad, civic engagement, and public service volunteering. For graduate applicants, work history and professional development will also be important. Admissions committees want to see that a student is a passionate leader who has displayed sustained effort over the preceding years to achieve a coherent set of goals.