Ok, so I’m an international student from India, but I’m an US citizen (stayed in Cal till I was 8, actually). I have a parent who lives in Cal.
My academics are not in the topmost range- I was above the class average for 9 and 10, then class average for 11 and 12 (rigor of academics increased dramatically, found it difficult to cope)- in fact, my grades have actually gone through a lot of ups and downs for one reason or another- but I always improve (i.e. there is always an upward trend after a low score)
SAT score: 2120
SAT subjects I will be taking: Chemistry: expect above 700
Maths 2: expect above 650
I should mention a few other circumstances- my parents got divorced right before HS started- we moved to a new city, new school- it took me a long time to get used to the school and cope with academics- so almost no extracurriculars. It was just a extremely stressful period. I have an younger sister, and having a single parent, there was no one to transport me, problematic club timings etc. That’s one factor. The other is basically because I’ve always been shy, and what with situations at home, got demotivated at the beginning of high school. By the time I kind of got back on track, it was 11th grade, and in India, 11th grade is a huge leap, academically from 10th grade. So again very little extracurriculars, because there was very little time (and I suck at time management- I’ve improved tremendously, but still:/) I mention all this because I’m not sure if I should write this in my personal essay- should I? I’m also on a gap year (due to some circumstances in my family)
Still, I have learnt the violin for many years (given ABRSM till 4th grade), played at concerts for the music school where I learnt violin,(not part of school), played for inter-school competitions (at school) and functions IN school. Was part of the music club for a year.
Apart from this,
I’ve participated in the Google Science Fair one year (not from school), and was selected for another international project on astrophysics (from school)- this was led by someone from UC Berkeley, actually- but we didn’t actually participate that year.
Other stuff include spelling bees and writing contests (in school, though), but not much else.
I know how to read and write 2 other languages (other than English obv) I have some basic knowledge of French and Marathi.
Some volunteer work at school events, peer teaching, and I’ve recently started volunteering at an underprivileged school.(with CRY, actually)
I read A LOT (literally consume text) and love writing too. I used to write stories, but nothing much, really. I’ve also recently started learning Java from codeacademy- dunno if that helps 
I’m mostly interested in biochemistry/biomedical engineering/ neuroscience/premed.
The UCs were my best choice: but do I have a chance at UCB/UCLA? I’m also considering UCSD, UC Irvine/Davis (for safety)
Other colleges: Johns Hopkins!!!, Duke, UVA/ UNC Chapel Hill (either one, since im out-of-state), Boston Uni, Tufts, U of Rochester, UT-Austin as a financial safety because I may not get in-state tuition at Cal (also I’m a legacy)
What are some safety schools? How is U of Pittsburgh? As a safety school? Any suggestions on safeties in the East coast areas?
Other out-of-reach colleges I have an interest in:
Brown, Stanford, Columbia, Cornell, Duke, JHU - is it worth applying(with my stats) to any of these? (except jhu- ive already decided on that)
Any other suggestions? I would preferably like mid-sized colleges- NOT below 5000 undergrad, but preferably not as big as UC/UT-Austin either. Schools with good opportunities for music, and soccer (my fav sport, I really, really want to play, never got to in HS) would be appreciated. (eg: UNC Chapel Hill/UVA)
This is obv a long list, I’m not going to apply to all. I will get financial aid, as a citizen. Also, if my dad is being uncooperative, does it increase my chances of financial aid?
Thanks a million for your patience.