The thing is that the schools comprising the “Top 20” are so different from one another that they couldn’t all be good fits. To say that you are interested in all of them (except Harvard) makes it very difficult to believe that you are evaluating them based on any criteria besides rank. For example, why in heaven’s name would a student like you apply to Caltech? As for MIT, sure it has an amazing undergrad business major, but your odds against getting in are astronomical. Why would Johns Hopkins be a good fit for your interests, even if you could get in? If you got into UCLA, where would the $260K OOS cost of attendance, with no need-based aid besides Pell Grant, come from?
This just isn’t a reasonable way to frame a discussion about where to apply. If there are a couple of super-reach schools that you particularly love for reasons that go beyond rank, then explain what you love about them, and also what less-reachy schools you’re considering that have some of the same attributes.
But fundamentally, your qualifications need to be on the level of successful applicants to that school, and most of the T20s aren’t looking for “3.5+” (even leaving aside your sophomore year issues) - most unhooked applicants that they accept have near-perfect high school grades. GPA is the most heavily weighted criterion at most colleges. When you see a few lower GPA’s in the admissions statistics, those usually belong to recruited athletes, legacies, and other applicants with strong hooks.
You’re obviously very bright and capable, and it’s not as if your grades are appalling. There are plenty of excellent colleges that would love to have you and that would offer you a great education and a great college experience. Why lead with an undifferentiated question about “top 20” schools when there are so many better ways to pick a school that you will love and that will love you back?
Also, you’re really planning to take 7 AP’s next year? I’d question whether that was a good idea, even if you’d aced all of your classes in the past.
You took a practice ACT 2 years ago, got around a 34, and then got a 30 when you took the actual exam this year? With two more years of English and Math?
That doesn’t make sense. Did something happen in the interim that affected your ability to do well on the test?
The OP stated he was low income, so I too am confused as to no budget, low income, can cover 8 semesters. Hopefully the OP will clarify so they can be pointed in the right direction.
At the most competitive schools, a very high SAT combined with a “meh” GPA can just end up underscoring the fact that you’ve been underperforming relative to your ability. It’s not likely to move the needle much, admissions-wise, as these schools have no shortage of high-scoring applicants to keep their stats up.
If you go a tier lower, though, a high SAT can be a bit more of an asset and can help you to qualify for more merit aid. So it’s worthwhile to try to raise that 30, especially since your PSAT suggests that you could score much higher. If you tend to do better on the SAT than the ACT (as the PSAT score suggests might be the case), taking the SAT might make more sense.
Lots of great advice given on this thread. My two cents is that you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take so you should still throw your hat in the ring but only as TO for SAT/ACT, and a LOT will also depend on additional information. You have taken 14 AP courses. Some schools grade very easy which increases a GPA yet when the student takes the AP exam, they score a 1 or 2. Some of our son’s friends at other schools received a B+ and an A in the course and got 1 and 2 on the AP exam. I’m sure some schools grade AP classes much more vigorously and perhaps yours is one of those. If you are scoring mostly 5’s with a few 4’s that might be a great explanation of your lower GPA. Otherwise, I would stick to applying to some of the excellent schools in the match or likely category that have already been mentioned.
@iamhungrylol I know you mentioned your school doesn’t rank, BUT check with your GC to see what decile you’re in. They should be able to tell you if you’re top 10%, 20%, 30%… This will give you a better insight into your competition level. What were your AP scores? Let us know, and we’ll be able to help you better determine your chances. Has your GC classified your matches safeties as such?