<p>What I tell my own daughter, I’ll tell you. Stick with the standard format of safety schools, matches and reaches. There are plenty of good safe and match schools. Find some that you will be happy with. That means you pick one of Canada’s excellent state schools (like McGill). If you can’t find them, the problem is with you. (And make sure they are matches and safety schools. Many state colleges in the US are hard to get in and fairly expensive.) You say aloud to yourself and your mother that you would be happy if that is the only school you get in. Try to expand the list. The safe and match schools are more important than the reach. As the other posters have said, see who would give aid to someone like yourself.</p>
<p>Further, you are only in 10th grade. Taking every AP your school offers might be unrealistic. (I don’t know you but it would be for most smart kids.It would also be quite painful and unpleasant.) So taking 3-4 APs as a junior is fine for some (usually the best prepared ones), but often very unpleasant for others. Doing better in fewer may be more rewarding. The same goes for academic clubs. Consider “shopping” the academic clubs to see which ones you like best. That usually works the best, i.e. you do best in the club you enjoy the most.</p>
<p>Perhaps you should talk to your current teachers and see what they think. Or try to find some other way to gauge your likely success. You could take a practice SAT Math or achievement test. Or you could email the math team advisor at your new school to get some old math league tests to practice over the summer.</p>