blackmail the dean. they ALWAYS have dirt on them.

Email your nudes to the admissions committee

.

Slay ur SATs/ACTs or both
Very good grades
Lots of extracurricular activities
Take lots of AP courses and get 4s and 5s on the exams

Even then it's still hard but that's the basic guideline. They're overrated anyway

Harvard accepts only 5% of applicants nowadays. You could do everything perfect and your chances are still very slim. Maybe give it a shot at Brown, Tufts, Boston U or some of the great public ones like UNC Chapel Hill

Money.

Rich dad

Don't bother. Go to a school with better standards.

If your GPA and test scores can't get any better, make an incredibly creative and unique essay. Well, do that regardless.

I've read a lot of forums. Good grades are important, but extracurricular activities are more important. You need to show that you don't just volunteer, but that you are a leader. You should create some organization, invest yourself in some charity project, etc... Some get in with an incredible life story (while helping others)
Basically, you need to be a Mother Theresa

But at the end of the day...Why do you need to go to a highly prestigious school? There are plenty of schools that would make you a great potential employee, and where you can actually enjoy your young years and college life, not studying 24/7

I go to one of them and sis you wouldnt believe the amount of ****ery that happens in the admissions office. If you're indeed a public school student, then it's a crapshoot. If you're a private school kid, well... I don't think you would be asking this question.

Be anglo saxon and have a rich, political daddy

Make sure you high school schedule is rigorous. Universities will notice if you slack off your senior year.

be rich , have daddy donate to the school ( See: Jared Kushner ) or be a legacy student.

Other than that be super smart , tons of extra curriculars and pray

Watch Gossip Girl tbh

Stay in Britain