Yeah I think that this reasoning is the most accurate. It's being increasingly difficult to come off as a unique snowflake. Everything has been done many times over. ADCOMs have just about seen it all. I am sure that taking time off to do certain things like Teach For Your Medical School Application... Err... I mean Teach For America are difficult to get into and thus seen as prestigious programs will definitely help your application (once again, please don't do something like TFA if you're going to half-ass it), but nothing is going to be a silver bullet. So yes, the more boxes you check, especially with good timing, the higher your chances of getting into top medical schools. As much as SDN gunners pride themselves on not being Cookie Cutter applicants, they don't realize that they are all Cookie Cutters, just with a far more elaborate design. That's why every time I read the WAMC threads, I'm never impressed, because it's always the same crap being done for the same reasons over and over again. But hey, this is what you need to get into medical school, and it works!
Now if you were a cowboy astronaut millionaire, then I think you might have an advantage over other applicants.