<p>Hello everyone. This is my first thread, and i am here to ask you what do you think of my scores/gpa/situation to get into a good college in the US.</p>
<p>I am originary from the southeast part of Mexico (the one that is green and damp), and I am a senior year student. I come from a family somewhere between upper middle class and wealthy (so to speak). We can afford a college in the US, so money is not a problem. My main issue in this situation is that, in my city, we dont usually prepare for college, and my family certainly didnt prepare us (me and my brothers) for the big challenge that college is. So my big brother didnt make so much out of his life because of this, and my little brother is in his way to the same than my older brother (something that I am trying to change).</p>
<p>Having said all of this, I would like you to tell my what to you think of my situation. The GPA in my school is measured in a different way than in the US, while in the US it is measured from 0 - 4 (Dont know if you can get a 0 or 1.0 though), in my school it is measured with a 0 - 10 (But no one ever gets less than 5). My school doesnt provide a translation from these grades to the GPA system, so my closest calculation is that my GPA is around 3.6 (My grade from 0-10 is 8.6, this is the average from the past 4 years).</p>
<p>The English profiency is not a problem, I got a 96 in my TOEFL (should have prepared more for the actual test though), but I am okay with the results.</p>
<p>I would say that my biggest problem is the SAT. After taking it for the first time just 1 month ago, I ended up with a 1640/2400 overall, with a 580 in Critical Reading, 550 in Math, and 510 in writing (havent practiced too much English writing in my life). So that score was at my first try, with a decent preparation (which consisted of practicing through one section of the test almost everyday for around 3/4 weeks). I am planning to retake it, even if it is too late to fit it in my application (as all have january deadline).</p>
<p>Having said all of the previous, I would like you to tell me my chances to get into a good college. I have already applied for Biochemistry in the University of Illinosi at Urbana-Champaign, and I am trying in Penn State (U Park) and the Purdue University as my main choices (maybe ill apply to some others as well).</p>
<p>My extracurriculars are OK, I was at my school basketball team (and made it into the state final), and I have done community service (clening streets, donating clothes and toys, raising funds), Directed and school film, practiced MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) for around 3 months, and some more, nothing impressive though.</p>
<p>So guys, I need your help. What are my chances of getting into any of these colleges? Do you recommend me some other college(s)? Any suggestions? What do you think I should/could do? Ask me if you would like to know something more about me (it is for you to evaluate my changes, that is).</p>
<p>Thanks to everyone! (Sorry for the grammar/spelling mistakes and for writing so much (: )</p>