<p>Putting aside the issue of affordability, you might want to consider applying to schools in the United Kingdom. I say this because basically, they go by standardized test scores there, and in that area, you are top notch.</p>
<p>I don’t think you have any chance at Stanford.</p>
<p>The fact you even mentioned Stanford indicates to me that you may be overly optimistic about your college chances.</p>
<p>My son had very high SATs also, but gpa seems in general to be more important in the selection process.</p>
<p>You might want to take a look at University of Michigan. That seems to be somewhat easier to get into than other top schools. </p>
<p>You should be able to get an idea from you guidance counselor at your high school how kids in your situation (high SAT, low gpa) have done in terms of college admissions in prior years.</p>
<p>Hopefully, there are some colleges out there that realize that a 3.0 in your high school is probably equivalent to a 3.7 at many other high schools.</p>
<p>From what I know, your best chance would be for the UCSB/UC Irvine type schools rather than the UCLA/Berkeley schools, but since in California, all you have to do is check off the box to apply to a particular school, nothing is lost by applying to a lot of them.</p>