<p>How to I improve my chances to get into a school like UPenn (ok, only UPenn. Maybe plus Brown?)
I sort of screwed up freshman year, by getting a B- and B.
SAT: aiming for 2300-2400, and probably can if I try hard enough.
120 community service hours, some extracurriculars...
But...I'm Canadian Chinese studying in China. How do I improve my chances if I work super hard the next two years? Cause I kind of don't want to go to any Canadian colleges somehow.
p.s. SAT score is more important over GPA, right? I kind of feel scared at how people with 3.9s and 4.0s are deferred, and it makes feel I have no chance. At all.</p>
<p>Not exactly. Some schools prefer GPA over SAT's.
But since you study in china, in a different educational system, most colleges will take that into account. So don't worry. Just write some wonderful essays and get high standardized test scores to make up for your GPA.</p>
<p>Are you in a Chinese school, or in an international school? If you are in an international school, make a date with your guidance counselor to develop a plan to help you bring up your grades next year. Maybe you need to improve some study habits. Maybe you just need a different choice of classes. The guidance counselor can also give you some ideas about where students from your school have gone to college and where they have been happy and successful. His/her list may give you a few names you have never thought of before.</p>
<p>As for UPenn/Brown vs. McGill/UToronto/UBC, well, frankly, unless your parents' pockets are lined with gold it would be just plain silly to spend the money to study in the USA if you are Canadian. Before you set your heart on a US degree, you need to talk to them about how much money they will have available to pay for your studies.</p>
<p>Wishing you all the best.</p>
<p>not really... those schools are rich. I know a '11 cornell who got like 40k a year. and he's chinese canadian too.</p>
<p>also a B and b- is not "screw up".</p>
<p>doesn't Penn value SAT over GPA?</p>