<p>I'm an asian, first generation canadian in my senior year. First one in entire family to go to uni :) We don't have GPAs so I'll list my transcript (bear with me)</p>
<p>Gr. 9 AAAAAAA B
Gr. 10 AAAAAAA BB
Gr. 11 AA BBBBBB (3 APs, one 4, two 5s)
Gr. 12 4 APs</p>
<p>SAT 2160 (will retake, along with two subject tests, this fall)</p>
<p>Gr. 11 took a real nose dive because of family and mental health issues, but I finally pushed myself to seek help. </p>
<p>I have 200+ volunteer hours cumulative from since like grade 6
co-founder of club at school
participated in a diff sport each year (never stuck...)
international MUN
school and grade honor awards every year
silver medal in grade speeches last year
arts grade award gr 10
Round Square</p>
<p>Looking to go into Social Sciences (mostly into psych). Ranked from impossible to probable (care to rearrange it?)</p>
<p>Northwestern
Vanderbilt
Notre Dame
UC Berkely
UCLA
Wake Forest
Boston College
Michigan - Ann Arbour
UCSD
Wisconsin - Madison </p>
<p>and U of Toronto in Canada haha </p>
<p>Any to add/definitely-take-off of list? Am I setting myself up for total failure and need more safety schools?</p>
<p>I know close to nothing about university and leech onto only my counsellor to guide me through this so I thank you so much for helping! </p>
<p>Why are you looking at so many US universities instead of investigating options in Canada? The Canadian institutions are likely to be significantly less expensive for you.</p>
<p>How much money is your family ready, willing, and able to pay for your education? Check the Estimated Cost of Attendance for International Students at the websites of each of the US colleges and universities on your list, and adjust those for your own best estimate for transportation. Find out if your family will cover those costs or not.</p>
<p>@marysidney @happymomof1 I’ve already discussed these schools with my family and they are willing to pay most of them even without any financial aid so money is not a problem here. I want to build my life in the US and they are backing me (favouring) in this decision. </p>
<p>I don’t think any schools on your list are sure things so unless you get into some schools by December I’d expand your list a bit. Your SAT is great but your GPA isn’t as strong and shows a downward trend. </p>
<p>Unless you will have your US citizenship papers or green card in your hot little fist on the day you graduate from college here, there is absolutely no guarantee that you can build your life here. Do not plan on being able to do that. Yes, it is marginally easier for Canadians to get certain kinds of work permissions, but that is nothing you can count on.</p>
<p>By your username you might be female; if so, I urge you to consider the women’s colleges. Smith, Mt Holyoke, Wellesley, Bryn Mawr: all excellent schools that may be easier for you to get into than coed ones, because they are self-selecting. Smith College, the one with which I’m most familiar, is very international in its focus; it has a well-regarded major in psych. It offers need-based and a little merit-based aid, with some interesting programs, like Praxis, that gives students money so that they can take an internship like more well-off students, instead of having to work every vacation. Check it out! And good luck on your SATs.</p>
<p>Bump. Also adding USC, Vassar College and UW Madison for now. </p>
<p>@happymomof1 Well considering that about 80% of the graduate classes at my school find their ways across the border (the rest to Canada and UK), I’m not too fretful about that yet. I was hoping for a ‘chance me’ input but I have this ‘foreigner’ status under consideration now so thanks for that too! </p>
<p>@marysidney I actually have thought about women’s colleges, but if was able to pick, I’d love to go to a co-ed. I’m still expanding my list (need to research more) so I’ll be sure to add a few. Just wondering, what kind of personal experience/knowledge with women’s colleges (Smith)? Thanks again so much :)</p>
<p>Being full pay you’ll have a better shot at many places, though nothing is guaranteed, of course.</p>
<p>If looking for a research U or two, add U Rochester and Pittsburgh for good chances of acceptance. Pittsburgh is rolling admissions, so you’d have your answer quickly and could then use it as a safety if it’s an acceptance.</p>
<p>If looking for an LAC consider Dickinson or Franklin & Marshall as contenders.</p>
<p>To answer your question: I attended Smith myself, 30 years ago; my older daughter attended a few years back. For both of us, the college was a good fit, since we didn’t want a large university with frats, etc. (Smith has no sororities; the students live in houses, usually for all four years, so you make friends with people from other than your own class. The houses give parties and a sense of place.) Smith is a member of the 5-college consortium, which means that you can take classes at Mt Holyoke, Amherst, UMassAmherst, and Hampshire as well, and many do. (Bryn Mawr has a similar relationship with Haverford and Swarthmore.) Smith is strongly, adamantly tolerant of every conceivable form of self-expression and identification; my daughter says everyone is accepted exactly as they are, without question or label. It’s a school full of smart women who don’t hold back.</p>