<p>I would like to be an Architect and I need to know if I am crazy for believing that I might be able to be accepted into these universities:
1) Cornell
2) Pratt
3) Syracuse
4) Carnegie Mellon
5) Rice
6) UT Austin
I have already applied to some back up colleges.</p>
<ul>
<li><p>The reason I don't think I can get into these colleges is my GPA and SAT. I have a 3.24 GPA out of 4 (which is pretty average). When I graduate I will have been in 9 AP classes and the rest of my classes are all honors. I got a 1280 (without writing) on my SAT (1850 with writing) and a 28 on my ACT. </p></li>
<li><p>I can speak three languages fluently (French, English, and Chinese), I also studied Spanish for two years. I have lived four years in France, four years in China, and about ten years in America (I am well travelled)</p></li>
<li><p>In terms of activities: In China I did community service with a group called Roots and Shoots. This year I am doing community service with Habitat for Humanity. I did a two week internship in France this summer with the architecture firm called C&H. I have participated in fund raisers for my school. I also play soccer and volleyball with a club after school. </p></li>
<li><p>In terms of Leadership, I am the Leader of a House (My school incorporates the Harry Potter house system). I was the leader last year as well and we got second place (there are eight houses total). I am responsible for organizing activities, competitions, fundraisers, and promoting school unity between grades. </p></li>
<li><p>In terms of my portfolio. I built a fairly large modern model home. I built it out of cardboard and tile that I recycled. There is a kitchen, a bedroom, two bathrooms, a living room, and a dining room. The house is on one level and I'm not gonna lie, it looks pretty gorgeous (I must have put a total of 250 hours in it, I started building it three years ago). All the furniture was painstakingly made of clay. I don't know if the house only counts as one piece in my portfolio. Other than that, I have made some paintings relating to architecture. I also have photographs of gorgeous buildings taken in Asia, Europe, and The US (Should I keep those in my portfolio? If yes, the how many should I put in?). However, my sketches are pretty weak and I need to work on them.</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I wrote an essay that I am proud of and I think that it is strong enough to catch the eye of these colleges. However, I would like to know if my experience and essay will be able to make these colleges forget about my average GPA and SAT scores. Am I in over my head?</p>