Hi guys! I am a rising senior and will be applying to college this fall. I’m so scared rn cuz i am not sure what kind of schools i can get into. My dream schools are Emory, Cornell, Barnard, UCB, UCLA, and Middlebury. Some counsellors told me these schools are really hard to get into based on my GPA and SAT scores. I have unweighted 3.79 and a weighted 4.05, and my sat score is 2020 (2200+ is my goal). I know my GPA is really low for top schools but here is the reason why: I moved to USA three years ago from a foreign country and technically speaking I’m still an English learner. I took some of the most rigorous courses at my school, include AP sciences,'AP world history, and honors European literature. Those classes are really hard for me and no matter how hard I study I can only get B+ in some of the courses. I don’t know if colleges will understand I worked really hard for that 4.05, but since my school is really competitive and everyone has good grade, I’m afraid I will be compared with other students from my school. I want to major in psychology/ East Asian studies in college and did some related extra curriculars such as publish volunteering at discovery science center, tutoring at language school, publishing stories on newspaper, and holding fundraisers for an orphanage in rural China. These things I did might not seem big but I learned a lot from them and I’m pretty sure I will turn these stories into good essays. To be honest I think worked really hard in the past three years, but it really depresses me that I can’t be as good as others in my school due to language problems. What kind of schools can I get into?
Do you guys think I can still get into my dream schools?
What an eclectic mix of schools. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone include both Middlebury and UCLA as their dream schools. Emory,UCB, and UCLA are urban. Cornell and Middlebury are relatively rural. Middlebury and Emory are relatively small, while the others are fairly large. What made you select these schools?
I’m not sure whether I want to go to a college or university. Nor do I know if I wanna go to a big city or rural area. Scary isn’t it? I am applying this fall and I still don’t know anything about colleges.
Does anyone have some idea on what kind of school I can get into?
What is your home state? How much can you and your family afford? Are you in need of financial aid/merit aid?
Actually, for the best schools, your GPA is a little low but generally, for many elite cchools, they’re looking for at least a 3. 8. All things considered, your 3.79 might be close enough. For the best schools, a little higher SAT will help, too. If you’re able to get a 2200, Middlebury would be very possible. Even with your 2020, it’s not out of the question. A 2200 would give you an SAT score that would be competitive at Cornell. Remember, though, your picks are not safeties. Make sure to have sufficient safeties and matches when you apply. Good luck.
I live in CA and I don’t need financial aid.
Thanks notjoe, I feel a lot better now. Those schools are my dream schools not safeties. I will try to raise my SAT 
I agree, currently some of those schools may seem out of reach due to the gpa, sat combination. But, if you increase your SAT score to roughly 2200 you have a pretty good shot at a variety of highly competitive schools.
Thanks for your reply, lhd512!
Another question. Will a 3 on AP Psychology be a disadvantage for me if I am applying psychology on my major?