I went to a school with similar dynamics, and if it's any comfort, I can assure you that the bullshit doesn't pay off. Those of us that pursued our interests deeply had our pick of college, those obsessed with simple metrics like AP count and SAT score got to what you call second-tiers if they were lucky, and those chasing leadership positions in do-nothing clubs got sweeping rejections. The system is not fair by any means, but it's not stupid, it can recognize people trying to game it.