<p>Hey guys!</p>
<p>I'm a junior in HS in Romania, and I'm planning on applying to a bunch of US colleges come fall. I'm just wondering if you guys can maybe see what my chances are for Columbia, which is pretty much my top choice :) Also, I will be applying for financial aid. If you need any other info, please ask :)</p>
<p>I think it's important to mention that I live in a very small city with little to no possibility of involvement in volunteering, and work is hard to find when you're my age (the best you can get is manual labor in a factory. pretty depressing, right?)</p>
<p>Anyway, here are some of my achievements/EC's and everything else I can think of.</p>
<p>Firstly, my SAT scores are as follows:
Critical reading: 710
Math: 660
Writing: 770
I am retaking in May, hoping to get CR past 750 and Math past 700. I'm taking the US History and Biology M subject tests in June.</p>
<p>I am first in a class of 300 with a gpa of 9.97/10 (romanian scale. I'll be damned if I know how the American one works, but I figure it's a 4.0? ), I have been to the National English Olympiad every year, having been first county-wise. I was 29th nationally in 9th grade, 18th in 10th grade and 15th this year. Some improvement there.
I am president of the student body council and of the english club.
I have a few other regional/county awards in math, english, art and music. I play bass guitar in a band and am responsible with the school band. Art-wise, I have participated in all the art competitions the HS told me about, and have gotten 1st to 3rd prize in all of them. There was also an international art competiton, but i didn't get into the finals :(</p>
<p>I am county coordinator for the european youth parliament, and was also the ambassador for my delegation back in 9th grade. I am a chair person in this year's regional sessions.
I've volunteered for the red cross when they were present in my town, and also in a center for disadvantaged children, helping them with homework and learning english.</p>
<p>I have worked as an editor for a sports website for a year, and I've been working Saturday nights in a club as a singer for two.
During summers, I travel with an LGBT organization down to the seaside and help spread awareness about STD's by handing out pamphlets and condoms on the beach. Loots of fuun, my favorite EC by far.</p>
<p>Will be helping with organizing the big music festivals in my country with the volunteer brigade (we're doing Bon Jovi, Judas Priest and soo many more this year. Soo exciteddd) all through summer</p>
<p>I can't really think of anything else to say, and besides, this post is pretty long anyway. Something I will say, tho, is that please keep in mind when you chance me that my town doesn't have an opportunities to expand on my ECs (people are very rude and when you try and offer help, they don't want to take it. I was ordered out of the hospital when I went to see if they needed some free workforce)</p>
<p>I know it's a high reach, but I won't give up just because I don't have eyepopping EC's. I have a different background, different opportunities, and I'm going to present my case as fully as possible in my essay :D</p>
<p>Thanks a lot guys for taking the time, it really means the world to me. I want to have unbiased opinions about what my chances are to make a better life for myself</p>