<p>Okay, here's my problem. I'm a grade 11 student at a public high school in suburban Vancouver, Canada. Sometime last year I had the impulse of wanting to go to a prestigious American school (the Ivies, MIT, Stanford, etc.). I have really good grades (99% - #1 out of a class of 380), pretty good extracurriculars (Student Council, Debate Team...), etc. so I thought "why not give it a try... open more doors." So I studied for the SAT and got a 2390 in Oct. I was so excited and I thought that is way too good to throw away. And just last week I found out that I got an 800 on my Bio M SAT. But now the entire thought of applying to US universities is really daunting and stressing me out and I don't know if it's really worth it and if I even stand a chance. I'll have NO problem whatsoever getting into a top Canadian university... I really don't know if I'm just wasting my time and money vying for such a slime chance of getting into a good US school... And there really is no point going to the States if I don't get into one of the top universities. And my parents aren't really supporting this whole idea of going to the US and they tell me that even if I get accepted I won't be able to go since they can't afford it. I'm just kind of lost right now, not sure where I'm going in life... So I'd really appreciate it if you could please give me some perspective and direction and tell me what you think of my situation.</p>
<p>3Pi~ with all due respect, i think you'd be crazy not to try!!! there's not a thing wrong with your stats, but where will you be happiest? you'll get in to a top US school, but i don't know how you define that.</p>
<p>With grades, SATs, and SAT IIs you may qualify for a scholarship at some rly good schools.... Like University of Washington @ St. Louis!! They give partial and full academic scholarships</p>
<p>Trust me, you are not a lost cause. Just because CCers are obsessed with 8% acceptance rate schools doesn't mean those are the only "prestigious schools" in the entire country. With stats like that, you have a good shot at nearly all American unis.</p>
<p>Thanks... sometimes I still feel like I'm just wasting my time though :/</p>
<p>Anyone else?</p>