Ideas for (academic) extracurriculars and achievements when applying to top Ivy League schools to study physics/engineering?

[Tiger]

Hello,

I would like to know what kind of academic extracurriculars and achievements could boost chances when applying to a top Ivy League school for studying physics (i.e. the natural sciences context) or engineering. I live in Europe, to be exact, in Finland. I have my non-academic extraccurriculars and achievements sorted out but I'm looking for the academic "wow" factor that can show how I have potential (at least try to show) in my subject of choice (physics or engineering in this case), as illustrated outside school. I would really appreciate some ideas or examples taking my subject in account!  Recently a guy from my school with an extremely high SAT score, 45 predicted, and "achieved" non-academic exracurriculars (but nothing too academic really) got rejected from the top Ivies, so I've been wondering ever since. Thanks beforehand!

 

Edited April 11, 2016 by Tiger