So far she (it is a girl) was rejected from Caltech and deferred at MIT. I know this is not a reason to panic but I am afraid this may be a trend. She is now in India for a science olympiad and when she returns she will apply to 5 other schools for physics (UPenn, UofMich,Yale, Columbia and Princeton)+ I don't know what to add to this list???
I think the main problem may be "childish essays" - thank you for your answer. I will try to get the book as soon as possible.
Unfortunately I can not help her much with essays - I never knew how to write them myself smile. Her regular public school is not too helpful either and daughter had to do almost all her studying online and after school.