<p>Do you have any idea what the average GPA at your school is? Do you have a class rank or can your counsellor provide you with an estimated rank?</p>
<p>For the schools you have in mind, you should be at least in the top 25% of your class, better yet in the top 10% - on the other hand, school systems vary throughout countries so that might not apply to you. If for example only the top 20% of the students in the general population might attend your high school to begin with, being "only" in the top 50% is not that bad. If your school is significantly more selective than most other high schools in your country, definitely have a school official elaborate on this issue!</p>
<p>You only need 3 recommendations (2 from teachers, 1 from an administrator). Don't submit more recommendations just to show them that you are on good terms with most of your teachers. The person reading your application will get really annoyed if she has to read 5+ recommendations...</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity: do you know how well you did on this test compared to the other 32.000 students?</p>
<p>Nope the system above is called "Ozel okullar sinavi" and it's for highschools. The only reason for studing abroad is my beliefs. I don't believe in such a stupid system like OSS(Exam for the Turkish universities), where you study for two years withour any social activities and learn the "answers" and if you fail, you'll have to wait one more year to get in.. That's why I'm trying to study abroad actually..</p>
<p>My undergraduate college had one or two Turkish students almost every year that came from a particular high school in Istanbul (sorry, I can't remember the name). I'm thinking that your school may have relationships with some colleges/universities in the US and/or Canada. Can you get in touch with graduates of your school who are now studying in the US for help with this?</p>