What is your intended major? Research schools that have strong departments and tell your story accordingly. That can help with merit. IB is excellent and it seems like you’ve got solid awards / ECs on a regional basis. If you can bump ACT up to 32 that would be good. Your 202 may qualify you for National Merit Commended - cut off is always somewhere in that vicinity. Doesn’t qualify you for anything, but still nice to add to a resume. Many schools have large scholarships you can apply for (hence very competitive) such as Tulane’s Paul Tulane Full-Tuition … Boston University’s Trustee’s Full-Tuition. No reason not to apply - just extra essays! University of Richmond (perhaps smaller than you’d like) also has full-rides - no extra essays, but highly competitive. University of Miami can be very generous. Ditto University of Pittsburgh. Perhaps begin a dialogue with the local AdComs for some of the schools you are interested in. Spend time on the school websites and then pose intelligent questions. I do know from experience that getting $$$ OOS from UCs is highly unlikely. Your intended major could be key in “pitching” yourself though - you’ve got some interesting ECs, funded grants that you can play up. Good luck.