<p>Hey Guys!</p>
<p>I'm planning to apply to US colleges as an international student and just received my November SAT scores. Not as much as I was hoping for; I got 1790.</p>
<p>Critical reading: 640
Math: 590
Writing:560</p>
<p>I know these scores aren't that great and won't be much helpful in getting me into my desired colleges, but I thought it was worth the shot. I'm planning to apply to UCLA, UCSD, Purdue, University of Chicago, Clemson University, SUNY Buffalo for either Biotechnology or Biological Sciences.</p>
<p>I'm planning to improve these scores next month and hopefully do well.
What I was wondering was, do my SAT scores make or break my admission? Or do they also count school grades?</p>
<p>I perform well in school;
Curriculum: CBSE (Indian system)
10th grade: 10 GPA
11th grade: 89%</p>
<p>I just want to know what are my chances of getting into these colleges? Or have I set my goals too high?</p>
<p>Please help.
Thanks.</p>
<p>SAT scores are a bit low (say about 300-500) for UChicago and UCs…
Otherwise ok… BTW this isn’t the best year to apply to USA because the rupee is really down… try IIS, Bangalore… thats pretty great for research…</p>
<p>Since you’re an international student, the key question is: will you need financial aid?
Because you’ll be compared to all other Indian students who need financial aid, and at UChicago, you won’t make it since they expect 2000+ from internationals.
However, admissions are holistic. Chicago places a huge emphasis on its essays, for instance. All your essays, activities out of classes, awards you’ve won… will be factored into your application, and if you have one great achievement, then it may offset your SAT score.
Practice with number2.com, it’s free and very well done.
Being full pay will go a long way to get you admitted somewhere except for the 6 need-blind schools.
Your choice is very eclectic: it seems you haven’t really looked into the schools. UChicago and Purdue are totally different (one is famously highly intellectual, while the other is practical and preprofessional.) Find a Fiske Guide, or Insider’s Guide to the colleges, or Princeton review’s best colleges, and start reading. 
I suggest you look into Harvey Mudd, Olin, wpi, rit, Rose Hulman, Cal POly SLO and Cal Poly Pomona, Georgia Tech, FIT, New Mexico School of Mining and Technology, South Dakota School of Mines -all different schools with different vibes and selectivity levels.</p>