<p>Hello, </p>
<p>Here are a few details about me -</p>
<p>Nationality: Indian
Gender: Male</p>
<p>I went through a CBSE high school. While not as internationally recognized as the IB or not as supposedly tough as the ICSE board, CBSE is supposed to be quite demanding and intense.</p>
<p>Sophomore Year - 95.4% (English: 91, overall school topper)</p>
<p>Junior Year - 78.4% (Rigor of course increased DRASTICALLY. A dip in the scores in this year is par for the course in Indian education systems) [Please see the PS to this post]</p>
<p>Senior Year - 87.4% (Topped the high school in English: 95)</p>
<p>SAT Reasoning Test - 2280/2400 (CR: 770, M: 780, W: 730)</p>
<p>SAT II - English Lit: 760, Math Level 2: 790</p>
<p>TOEFL iBT - 120/120</p>
<p>I already graduated from high school in May 2011 and hope to enroll in colleges from the Fall 2012 session. Right now, I'm taking a gap year. I moved out of my parents' house, came to a new city and started living alone. Basically, my parents were always hesitant about sending me to a far-away country to live by myself at the age of 18 itself. This was sort of acid test to prove my independence to them. Now, while living alone, I am volunteering at a nearby orphanage for street kids. I teach them, play with them and hang out with them. Should have 50 hours by application time.</p>
<p>I am also writing for AOL India. I don't have to go to office or anything like that. I sit at home, write articles and submit it to them. The articles are posted on their site and I get a stipend + byline credit.</p>
<p>Here are some other ECs I could put in my application. These are the ones I had in high school:</p>
<p>1. INDIVIDUAL: Four first prizes in intra-city debate/extempore/speech competitions. </p>
<p>2. TEAM: Two first prizes in debate competitions (one was Rotary Club's intra-city, one was inter-city)</p>
<p>3. OLYMPIADS: Ranked 4th Worldwide in International Olympiad of the English Language. Ranked 7th in the state in National Cyber Olympiad.</p>
<p>I wish to major in Media / Communication Studies, by the way. With a planned minor/emphasis/concentration in either Creative Writing, English or Film (depending on what the college has and which major I finally pick, among other factors). In fact, I'm not averse to majoring in English either - provided it's a great place (like Amherst!)</p>
<p>I have done some college searching, but the list I came up with is maddeningly diffuse. Amherst is my first priority but I know how competitive that is. (Would my chances become decentish if I applied ED there?) I'm also looking at Berkeley, USC, NYU, Vassar, Ithaca, Pomono, Emory and an embarrassingly large number of places.</p>
<p>So, please tell me my chances. Could you suggest some good reaches, matches and safeties for me? How much will they be affected if I apply Early Decision/Action? How much will it affect my chances if I ask for need-based aid? (I won't ask for it if the acceptance rate reduces drastically).</p>
<p>PS - I know my Junior Year grades will raise eyebrows. But, in the Indian education system, it's par for the course for Junior Year grades to be much lower than Sophomore Year (because the school holds the exam in the former, whereas the board holds it in the latter) and the rigor of my workload increased DRASTICALLY. That still doesn't excuse my low score, I know.</p>
<p>But the thing is, I'm going to address this in my Common App essay. Junior Year started with a death in the family and a fracture in my right (and dominant) hand. Both these things had a huge impact on me. I was meek and indecisive and ended up studying subjects picked by my parents and, surprise, I was neither passionate about them nor talented in them. I'm going to write my essay on how all these things debilitated my performance a great deal and brought me down. But they also taught me life lessons (even if it was the hard way) and how they helped me grow as an individual. And that's how I'm going to find a spot to explain my uptick in Senior Year scores.</p>