Help!!!!

<p>This is my first post by the way! And I typed this from my phone.
Okay, so I have really high hopes and expectations in regards to the whole college process. Anyways, these are my stats:</p>

<p>Black Hispanic, total income is way below $20k
ACT: 23 (first try ://)
SAT: 1550 (first try as well)
CR: 580 M: 480 W: 490
Rank: top 25%
GPA: UW 3.6</p>

<p>I'm not sure what my GPA is weighted because "supposedly" my school adds the extra credits from AP and honors in your senior year, at least that's what my guidance counselor said. I've taken 11 honors classes and 1 AP class out of the 20ish courses I've taken. My school only offers 3 AP classes and certain other classes I couldn't take them honors because they're only available as a regular class. Also, my school is a bit different for a public school because it's a vocational high school so we only have the necessary academic classes that meet the state's scholarship and graduation requirements which translates into me not having any art or musical classes...</p>

<p>I'm a rising senior and my vocational program is medical assisting so once I finish up this school year I can get certified and work as one for experience. In addition to doing MA class, I'll be dual enrolled at my local college and will be completing a total of four classes there this upcoming school year and as a bonus I'll only have to go to my high school for 3 hours a day! The college classes will be completed online though since I can't go to the campus, explained below. </p>

<p>ECs:
I volunteer at a hospital that's within walking distance and so far I've accumulated 74 hours but it's only summer so I plan on doing at least 10hrs a week until I graduate. I'm also going to try to join a few clubs at my local library as well as a few online ones made available through my part time online class. I have no school clubs yet but I am going to join one that gives volunteer hours and they mostly meet up on Saturdays, so it's manageable. So basically I'll be joining a National Honors Society thing, maybe a mock court, a teen ambassadors club, a volunteering/fundraising club, a book club, and any other ones I can join. I was also contemplating starting up a Dance Dance Revolution club at my school that can accommodate my and other students' schedule as well as give me the opportunity to be a club president! I'm not sure how to go about it though, at least not yet. </p>

<p>Beyond that, I haven't joined any school clubs because my mom works in the school district which means she can't pick me up from school and I have no one else who can. There's a public bus system but it's rare for it to go through the city now since recently they opened up a train in the city next door. My (single) mother also doesn't allow for me to hitch a ride off of other people because she doesn't trust them and she's put off getting my permit so much that I decided that I might as well wait until I'm 18 (in 11 months) so I can get my license 3 weeks after.
As for sports, my school doesn't have any sports because we're "too" small, so they ask us to go to our home zoned school to join them, transportation still being a problem lmao.
As I mentioned earlier, I'll only be at school for 3 hours a day so I'm hunting for a job within walking/biking distance. It'll be full time probably because I still have 6 weeks until school starts and since I know my online classes would be easily done on weekends, it can be achievable. Tech won't be a problem because I'll have the same teacher I had in my previous year and she gives relatively light homework like once or twice a week and it's typically due a week later. I know that sounds like a bad teacher but her main thing is getting her students to truly understand the material in class so that they only have to review it for a bit at home for pending tests and stuff. </p>

<p>I also play violin here and there it's a passion of mine I don't know if that counts as an EC. I paint and write but only as a hobby every once in a while. </p>

<p>Okay so I won't go in depth with what I believe will make me appealing to great universities but basically I have a few psychology "thoughts" that i want to do thesis papers and research on and I have a vision for the future of the medical field. I didn't mention this earlier, but I ultimately want to become a psychiatrist (I can't believe becomibg a medical examiner was my back up omg..) as well as a business owner on the side. My prospective major is in psychology, I'm hoping for a BS but a lot of schools only have BAs but it's so-so. I'm also going to study and retake the SATs/ACTs I don't care how many practice books I have to go through to squeeze out the best score I am capable of achieving. In all honesty, I did terrible on them the first time around because I managed my time terribly resulting in my having to randomly bubble in like half the test. I will leave no room for mistakes I have until the October and November test dates to dramatically improve my scores. I know I can definitely get at least an 1800 but my goal is to get it in the 2000s which is achievable but quite difficult, I'm well aware.</p>

<p>Here are my prospies in order of most wanted:</p>

<p>Columbia U
NYU
U of Rochester
Colgate U
Syracuse U
Niagara U
Pace U
Hofstra U
Temple U
U of Tampa
Richard Stockton College</p>

<p>I'm conscious of the fact that many of these schools are really out there for me but who knows it could happen if I push myself to the limit, I've always been surprised by my achievements here and there because they'd go way beyond my expectations (well duh) and I'm going to take the chance and try. </p>

<p>Anyways Temple, Richard Stockton, and UTampa are good schools but I just don't want them due to the location but if all my other schools reject me those are my back up ones. I know I can probably get into Pace but it's FA isn't the best and some of the other schools aren't in "ideal" locations but they're really good so I don't mind. Ideally I want to go to school in NYC because I've visited NY throughout my childhood and lived there for a bit too and I'm in love with the city it makes me really happy to be there. Also, NYU and Hofstra are a bit iffy due to the price tag and their average FA, so really even if they did accept me, it would depend on what they'd offer to cover for tuition. </p>

<p>Pardon me for making this so verbose! Also, please offer as much insight as you can I'm literally the only person pulling myself through the college process like my guidance counselor is terrible at her job and since I'll be a first gen, my family can't help! :(</p>

<p>I'm sorry for not clarifying earlier, but I want to know if maybe a killer essay, my ECs, and higher test scores could help me out with admissions to my dream schools and if explicitly addressing in the essay why I want to go to that specific school will help (like what and how I would use their facilities or unique components). Also, does the medical assisting thing give me any edge at all? What about work experience as a secretary? And I'm going to apply for the College Match thing from Questbridge, will that help me with Columbia? </p>

<p>This is like the third addition I’ve made but anyways feel free to reccomend any schools in NY or NJ that match or any other courses of action y’all think I should take. Another reason I want other people’s perspective on my chances is because sometimes I have too much faith in my abilities and I need a more pragmatic take on all of this. </p>

<p>Your first 5 schools are high reaches because of your SAT score.</p>

<p>You will really need a killer essay and it seems like you could potentially have one. You could write about your transportation issues and how it has made you grow or influenced you positively in some way. </p>

<p>You’ll definitely need higher test scores. You’ll need 2200+ or 33+ for Columbia. Otherwise 2000 and 30 should be your goal. From what I experienced, high test scores to better schools are a given, in general, for successful applicants. </p>

<p>You’ll be able to address specific schools in the essays that those schools ask for, not the Common App essay. </p>

<p>Medical assisting and experience as a secretary definitely don’t hurt. In my opinion, they won’t make you stand out either for the more elite schools. Also, don’t forget about subject tests. Take two and try to get 700+ on both.</p>

<p>No idea what Questbridge is :/</p>

<p>I’ll actually be a freshman at NYU this fall, and I’d recommend applying to less competitive schools within the university in order to have a better shot.</p>