Tier 1 (extremely rare)

• High decorations for valor (Congressional Medal of Honor, DSC/Navy Cross, Silver Star)
  
• Rhodes Scholarship
• Started multimillion-dollar company/innovative service that is household name
  
• C-level executive in publicly traded/Fortune 500 company
  
• Professional athlete/college athlete who was a lock for professional except for injury
  
• Widely published author/heavily cited academic
  
• Prior high expertise in field (surgeon who invented technique, etc.)
  

Tier 2 (rare)

• Decorated military service (Purple Heart, Bronze Star)
  
• Fulbright/other prestigious scholarship
  
• NCAA athlete in standout position, e.g. household basketball name, led water polo team to 3 titles, etc.
  
• Overcome extraordinary physical/mental handicap (ALS, blind & deaf, etc.)
  
• High level (director, etc.) position in prior employment
  
• Prior demonstrations of high expertise (patents, etc.)
  

Tier 3 (uncommon)

• Commissioned military service
  
• Prestigious undergraduate scholarships and/or research awards
  
• NCAA athlete
  
• Overcame extraordinary adversity (childhood poverty, physical/mental handicap, etc.)
  
• Published academic
  
• Peace Corps/Americorps/other public service
  
• Prior employment in legal field or otherwise pertinent area (engineer for IP, etc.)
  
• Disadvantaged status: LGBTQ+, first in family to attend college, single working parent, etc.
  

Tier 4 (common)

• Any military service
  
• Legal internships
  
• Congressional internships
  
• President/officer of clubs/frat/etc.
  
• School newspaper/yearbook/etc.
  
• Honors societies