<p>Hey, I'm a dual citizen (US/UK) who's spent all their life in the UK education system - so taking GCSEs, etc. </p>
<p>I've been seriously considering applying to uni in America, and just got my GCSE results to help put it into context. I achieved: 8 A<em>s, 4 As, and a B (in Astronomy) - and I hope to get one of those As up to an A</em> next year. Next year I plan to take English Literature, Spanish, Philosophy and Ethics, and Chemistry at A Level. At uni I would be interested in majoring in Linguistics.</p>
<p>I recently took a practice SAT paper and got a 2100 (780 CR, 680 W, 640 M) with no preparation. I feel I could now achieve higher on the writing after seeing how they're marked, and should be able to improve my maths - and I intend to take one in Spring. </p>
<p>However I do not know where I should be aiming - for instance if there is any point applying for the TOP unis there (as I would do in the UK). I plan on definitely applying for Berkley as I am legacy there, but don't know where else. There is also financial issues, applying alone is very expensive and that means I could only do so to a select number of places, meaning I have to narrow it down. </p>
<p>I would appreciate some advice on what chances I have at different types of unis, and where you would recommend applying. Thanks! :)</p>
<p>As you are interested in linguistics, not doing A level math should not be a deal breaker. If you can get your SAT up, look at some state flagships like UVA, UNC, UMich, and UIUC. These universities can sometimes be cheaper than privates. However, if you are looking at significant financial aid look at places like Northwestern or WashU which are like “almost ivies” and give good need based aid.</p>
<p>You may well get into Berkeley but will your parents have 60,000/year to say out of state tuition ?
So the key question here is Will you need financial aid ? If so will your family be able to pay 25,000? 10,000? That will make a big difference to where you can apply.</p>
<p>McGill is about half the cost of Berkeley for linguistics (and, if you bomb the SAT while doing well on A-levels, AAB on A-levels will make it a safety anyway)</p>
<p>Sorry if my mention of finance caused any confusion! What I meant was I don’t want to fork out $150 for colleges I have no chance of getting into anyway! My mum is a single parent but still earns a decent amount, and so she has agreed to let me try applying to places first and then trying to work around the finances. Thanks for the advice so far!</p>