<p>Hi, I'm from South Asia and I'd appreciate any help with selecting colleges. I'm applying for Fall 2015 and my intended major is Physics/Astrophysics.</p>
<p>Brief stats:
SAT: 1940 [CR: 640, M: 650, W: 650]
I'm retaking the test in Dec and hoping to get close to 2200, I'm confident of getting at least 2100. (the first sitting was with zero prep, hence the huge leap between that and my expected score for the next sitting. I took it for experience fully intending to re-sit).</p>
<p>SAT II: Physics: 800.
I'm taking Maths 2 and Chem in Nov. I'm expecting something in the region of 750 each, and I'm certain I can get at least 700.</p>
<p>HS Sports/Clubs/Achievements:
-Rowing crew: Vice captain. Medals at nationals, 2 international S. Asian regattas, etc.
-Sport shooting: Captain, medals at nationals.
-School Prefect.
-Association of science and technology.</p>
<p>Other: Involved in organizing a fundraiser/charity run.</p>
<p>(^That's an extremely condensed summary, I can fluff it up if necessary).</p>
<p>Negatives: GPA (assuming I use my A/L results to calculate my GPA). I had some issues in HS which meant I did badly with my A/Levels and had to re-sit them. And due to my country's weird A/L system, the numbers will probably look bad to an admissions officer who isn't familiar with the system.</p>
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<p>So, if I get my expected SAT results (err on the side of caution assume 2100 for the SAT and 700 for M2 and chem), what colleges should I be looking at, and what can I expect in terms of financial aid? I'd like to keep costs below $20k/year all things included and definitely no higher that $30k/year.</p>
<p>I'm hoping to apply to ~6 colleges. Is that too few? I'd really appreciate any suggestions or advice.</p>
<p>Also, as far as personal preferences ago, I'd prefer some place warm. To me, "normal" weather is ~23 to 32 c (72 to 90 f) with >50% humidity. I'm willing to wear a few more layers and deal with the cold, but not too much cold.</p>