I feel my daughter's experience in applying to college is instructive. She went the regular admit route.
Academics: Most rigorous curriculum; straight As, 34 ACT, 8 APs (all 5s).
ECs: (school based): two year editor in chief of both Yearbook and Literary Journal (both locally award winning); successfully petitioned CIF to recognize her sport (took over a year) and competed throughout HS (multiple awards)(averaged 20 hrs per week). (Outside school): Two year Youth Director of food bank (one youth director per year); lab internship at UCSD (certified to kill mice [amongst other things]; worked PT to earn money to support her sport (she was paid to shorn horses for competitions).
Awards: sweepstakes winner local science fair; second place state science fair; first place grand prize winner Intel Science and Engineering Fair. (Winning app 20k in prize money.) Project was done in a HS lab and took two years from beginning to end (parents don't know a thing about science). Granted a patent for the work.
LORs: Lab director, plus the usual teachers and guidance counselor.)
She made it clear that she was going to major in engineering (looking for that female "tip").
She didn't run the table in admissions. (And come to think of it, didnt really sleep that much in HS.)
Cast a wide net - we thought she'd run the table. (Obviously, she was going to get into a HA, but just not all.)