do i stand a chance? what can i do to improve?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Pennsylvania
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<p>help please!!! thanks in advance to anyone who helps me
harvard and penn are my dream schools (not because of names, but because they have the most amazing resources, extraordinary student body and a lot of things no other places have) and i want to apply but i want to be realistic about it because it seems like the only way to get in is to find the cure for aids or something. so im gonna list my resume and see if anyone who knows about this or has gotten into penn can tell me if i have a chance...</p>

<p>im from puerto rico, lower middle class, from a small town from where probably no one has even heard of penn. english is my 2nd language.</p>

<p>gpa is not calculated in my school as it is in the states but ive gotten As in every subject since 9th grade so i asume it would at least be 4.0</p>

<p>ranked 1st in a class of about 90
1910 SATs which i realize is 0 for their standards but should improve now in october..
top score in my class and one of the best in the country on the college entrance exam in puerto rico (not the SAT but also by the College Board)
ive taken the most advanced classes my school has to offer ( no APs cos my school doesnt have them)
student council member
national honor society member-president of my school's nhs
vice president of the science club</p>

<p>six years of classical guitar education, played in a bunch of different ensembles in school and elsewhere
played soccer for the last two years
member of community group that promotes consciousness about environmental issues</p>

<p>part time job at a local shop </p>

<p>i went to a journalism program at penn state summer before last, and to a biotech program at a university here last summer but i realize none of this is too weird or extraordinary like the things other rejected applicants seem to have done (cancer research, summer in a third world country feeding the poor...) i know that the other 25,000 kids who apply have much more impressive resumes, so does anyone think i stand a chance at a school like penn (provided i write some damn good essays)? is there anything i can do now to improve my chances, besides getting better SATs I/II ?</p>

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<p>Your area of residency would be the biggest advantage you have over other applicants. Penn had 7 students from Puerto Rico matriculating into the Class of 2011, so realistically your scores need to be in the very best in the commonwealth. If you raise your SATs to a ~2000-2100, and do well in the other standardized tests, I think your chances will increase dramatically.</p>

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<p>thanks.</p>

<p>i realize this about my scores and will take the tests again now. they should go up to at least 2000+. </p>

<p>i would bet that 99.9% of puerto ricans at penn come from the san juan area and went to seriously expensive schools (im yet to find anyone here form a normal school who goes to a top school like penn). i live an hour from san juan and my school, although private, is nothing compared to those schools. hopefully they will take into consideration that i didnt have the same opportunities as they did (i talked to a penn rep last week at a conference and she told me they really look at each school's profile to judge scores in the right context) but still, my scores def need to go up and will go up. i just need to know that there is a chance even if its a tiny one...</p>

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<p>anyone else got feedback? (thanks!)</p>