OP, @whimsys, is your family in China? I get that you have Canadian citizenship. If this is the case they most likely do not understand what is going on with education in the US, Canada and how work permits are issued.
As many people mentioned studying in the US (especially getting BS in comparative literature or creative writing) will not get you visa to work in the US. There are millions of students in the US with such degrees. Why would American government think that your presence is essential for the US economy (it is kind of immigrantion ātestā to qualify for work visa.) Many Canadians who live in the US send their kids back to Canada to study because education there for Canadian citizens is significantly cheaperā¦ So by going to the US you most likely burn around $200-300k and get nothing out of it. Canadian degree is as good as American for employment in the US IF you have authorization to work. As I can see, if the end goal is to be in the US, you are better off getting BS in Canada and then trying to get a Phd in the US or find a spouse in the USā¦
Obtaining the visa isnāt too large of a concern for me since my main routes for employment in the US are already settled, and, if relevant, I am planning on pursuing a PhD (ideally)?
Thank you for the reply! Iām considering McGill or UBC as an alternative during the RD round if I am rejected from my ED and ED2
If you are hoping to get a job as a professor in the U.S. teaching comparative literature, make sure you do ample research on the academic job market here. It is extremely tough, particularly for individuals in the humanities.
Thank you for the advice! My current plans are to study comparative literature and then branch off into media studies and/or translation. Job-wise, as my family is somewhat involved with news/media, Iāll be going into that field
Well then why not considering getting degree for free in Canada? Why only McGill? What is wrong with University of Toronto or other great schools in Canada?
Sounds like OPs family works in some sort of media business in Canada and may want to establish/expand a US branch. OP would get their job from the family company and thus has OPT covered. (h1bās are a different animal altogether but weāre talking 6 years from now soā¦)
Still UCSB CCS and UCSC would make more sense than UC Riverside.
Not quite free but very reasonably priced, particularly compared to prices in the US.
A couple of other issues:
Admissions at universities in Canada is relatively predictable and largely based on academics. McGill was my safety coming out of high school. For both daughters when they applied to universities in Canada we regarded everything there as a safety (including McGill for one daughter, smaller universities for the other). Given OPās stats, I think that admissions in Canada would be quite safe for them also.
Also in Canada you at least have the option of taking more classes in your major or closely related fields due to there being fewer general education requirements outside of your major. Whether you consider this to be a plus or a minus may be a matter of opinion and personal preference.
If youāre hoping to study creative writing and literature and are open to LACs, definitely consider Kenyon, Oberlin, Vassar, and Hamilton. Hamilton and Vassar are reaches, but I would think that Kenyon and Oberlin would be likely admits for you (not safeties, but my guess is that you would be admitted). If youāre interested in media studies in the long run, both Kenyon and Oberlin offer interesting ways to pursue journalism. Maybe consider Skidmore, as well, which is probably in the match range.
UBC/McGill/UT are safeties for your stats&comp lit (you could do Comp Lit major+ media studies minor).
Nevertheless I would suggest applying after the ED1 results if theyāre disappointing, without waiting for ED2 results - after January thereās also a āspace leftā component.
I assumed UCSB, and to a lesser extent UCSC, were eliminated due to proximity to an international airport.
Since you are full-pay, based on your major - and your various minor interests, here another Manhattan location with strong English/writing departments besides NYU in case you identify as female:
https://complit.barnard.edu/
https://arthistory.barnard.edu/
at Columbia U.
My impression - which is ONLY an impression, not fact, but is based on several years of observation - Berkeley likes figure skaters. The ones Iāve known who have applied have generally gotten good results. Obviously, they were also very strong academically, but Berkeley seems to have a soft spot for skaters.
little update after a while but have officially been accepted to uiowa with a 7k scholarship! havenāt committed yet but, since iāve gotten into a school, my counselor suggested i just go all the way for my RDs so here is the most recent & adjusted school list:
brown (ED, awaiting dec 15)
middlebury (ED2)
UC:
LA
berkeley
davis
irvine
riverside
santa barbara
santa cruz
other commonapp RDs:
hamilton
cornell
columbia
nyu
yale
also waiting on results from my EA to USC, but those shouldnāt be out until january, so just praying for december 15th to come and go right now
Congratulations on UIowa and on the scholarship ! 
Did that come with admission to the honors college or does that come later?
for Dec 15!
thank you so much!!! i donāt think admission to the honors college comes until after committing/accepting the offer (correct me if iām wrong) but iāve been looking more into the honors program in general recently! not very familiar with the gpa system so not super sure about the rigor entailed by a ācumulative 3.33 gpaā though haha
3.33 means B+ overall.
You only need to be admitted to the university before applying to Honors (you do not need to commit - in fact, many students would weigh admission to the Honors College before deciding to enroll.)
https://honors.uiowa.edu/join-program/how-apply-incoming-first-year-student
With respect to the topic of your chances, you will get into Brown or Middlebury. Try to act surprised.
I think you are going to have some great options.
I canāt help but think that Amherst could be on your list. Hamilton is a smart choice.
In Canada: University of Toronto over UBC and McGill. Renowned for writing and famous English Dept. alums: Margaret Atwood; Stephen Leacock: John McCrae; Farley Mowat; Michael Ondaatje.
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