Help with finalizing my college list.

Applying to College Common and Coalition Application
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<p>Hey guys! I'm a newbie on this forum, so I apologized if i posted in the wrong area.</p>

<p>I'm posting on here to ask about my chances at any of the following schools, as it's the list I've made for myself. I'm a Cognitive Science/Pre-Med major.</p>

<p>Reach Schools: Cornell University, University of Pennsylvania, Duke University, Northwestern University,UC Berkeley, UC Los Angeles
Ideal Schools: McGill University, New York University, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC San Diego
Safety Schools: University of Illinois Urbana Champagne, Ohio State University, Pennsylvania State University</p>

<p>I'm a first generation Asian Indian immigrant living in Maine, I've lived in six different state throughout the course of my life. I have a 1910 SAT score (that I'm retaking and I'm going to take the ACTs), a 91% GPA (my school doesn't follow the 4.0 system), and top 23% of my 250 person class. I was the first kid in the history of my high school to take AP Calculus as a junior. I've taken AP English, AP Calculus, and the rest all honors, and I will be taking AP Biology, AP Spanish, AP English, and AP Statistics this coming year.</p>

<p>I am the youth "coordinator" for the India Association of Maine and teach Hindi to young children as a volunteer. I've been chief editor of my yearbook my junior and senior year, I'm a speech and debate state champion and I went to nationals (didn't place). I attended RYLA, one of the board members and one of the first members of Interact Club. I've played piano for eight years, and will be teaching this year, and hopefully be starting the first ever volunteer tutoring program for elementary school children in my community.</p>

<p>I am fluent in two languages (Hindi and Punjabi), and I read and write both. I have 250+ hours of community service at the hospital, an old age home, and with India Association of Maine. I volunteer at the hospital during the year and was an honored volunteer at the old age home. I took two summer courses at UC Berkeley this past summer, I passed both, and I'm hopefully going to have my cognitive science professor write my recommendation for college.</p>

<p>Any input any of you guys could provide would be very helpful; whether my reach schools are actually "reaches" and my ideal schools are "ideal." Thanks!</p>

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<p>Well your reach schools are definitely reaches. No one has a guarantee at the Ivy’s or Ivy-level (Duke). The two UCs you mentioned judge more on your SATs and GPA. While your SAT and GPA are certainly good, they are not outstanding for an out-of-state.</p>

<p>Your ideal/match schools are fine. Acceptance at NYU would be better if you increase the SAT score.</p>

<p>The safeties are fine. I think you should add a Maine state college.</p>

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<p>How much do you think I would have to increase my SAT score by/I’m taking the ACTs, what should I aim for on the ACTs?</p>

<p>Is my GPA/SAT going to be a huge deterrence for me getting into a reach?</p>

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<p>Sorry, avenlea, but I think some of your ideal schools are reaches too. You will be held back the most by your GPA and class rank. They are too low for NYU and McGill. UCSD is a good school, but Davis and Irvine are probably easy. You may be able to compensate a little bit by scoring 34-36 on ACT or 2200+ on the SAT, but GPA and class rank are so important that even that may not be enough.</p>