<p>Sorry jackberm, I came in on this late, I didn't see your post. Ye-mi</p>
<p>Even though this isn't the question, I wanted to second lg44 and suggest that given that you are an excellent student at a very tough school, unfamiliar with the terms and form of the SAT I before you took it, why not get an SAT review book and work hard over the summer so you can get a higher score when you retake? A higher score will make you a more viable applicant for the colleges you've mentioned. (You could use the search function to find the "Xiggi method" for self study on the SAT/ACT board.) I also think you should use the search function on CC to get the complete list of SAT-optional colleges. Some of these schools are truly excellent; see if any of them is a college you'd like to attend.</p>
<p>Wanted to add: The fact that a U.S. college is not well-known as a household name in Europe does not mean it is easier to get into than a well-known school. For example, UCLA is pretty well known (although not in the category of some of the schools you've mentioned). But if you look at the statistics of admitted students, you will see, for example, that it is more difficult to be accepted to Pomona College, also in Southern California but not as well-known. I think it will be very important for you to put some time into thinking about what you want in a college, and then widen your net. If you post about your major interests, the size, setting, and atmosphere you would prefer on the CC parents' board, you will probably get a lot of suggestions of school that might be a good fit for you. (But do think about retaking the SAT, so you may have more choices.)</p>
<p>A native speaker of Danish (a language that is cognate with English, unlike Chinese) should be able to boost those SAT Reasoning Test section scores by practice. Especially the math score needs to be higher than 530 to be competitive, because a lot of applicants to selective schools who aren't native speakers of English post higher math scores than that. It's not a bad idea to take some SAT Subject Tests also before the application deadline. Look at the list of SAT Subject Tests </p>
<p>SAT</a> Subject Tests - College Admission Tests - Register Online </p>
<p>and see which subjects you have already studied in high school. Practice tests </p>
<p>are available worldwide. </p>
<p>Taking the ACT is also a good idea. All four sections of the ACT, in my son's opinion, are really tests of reading ability in English. That is especially true of the science section on the ACT.</p>