<p>You never told us what colleges you are looking for. You have probably heard me say this a gazillion times: there are 4,000 colleges and universities in the US, and you have excellent chances at 3,800 of them. Should we list all of them, or do you have some preferences to narrow down that list?</p>
<p>A few thoughts about your transcript: It is generally a VERY bad idea to convert grades. As you may already know, grading in Germany is stricter than grading in the US. A “C” at my American high school would have been a failing grade at my German school. By doing the conversion yourself, you are taking away the opportunity for colleges to interpret your grades in a more favorable way. </p>
<p>“Catholic Religion” is a reasonable translation, but it makes you sound like a religious nut job. “Religion and Philosophy” would not make you sound like a Catholic fundamentalist and describes the curriculum much better. At my school, we spent more time talking about other religions and philosophy (e.g. “proofs” of the existence of God) and ethics than about Catholic or Protestant beliefs.</p>
<p>No, grades should generally not be converted. But it does help to attach a short description of the grading scale: grades go from 1 (best) to 6 (worst), and the average grade on tests is typically a “3.x”. Something like that.</p>
<p>I think that your full paying ability will give you a special advantage in admissions. I recommend you to choose public universities as they will be the perfect fit for you. Do you have any universities in mind? Give me an overview of what type of university you want and I may be able to help you suggest some.</p>
<p>Have you taken the TOEFL? If not, I recommend you to sit for it as soon as possible because a good score in the TOEFL may make your low CR scores. And an international student always requires the TOEFL unless he/she has a high TOEFL.</p>
<p>I second the recommendation to apply to a number of state schools. State schools cater to a wider range of students than private universities. They provide similar resources to their top students as private universities, but are often less selective in general. Your SAT scores and GPA may not qualify you to attend a top private university, but you can get a chance to prove yourself and get access to similar resources at a public university. Public universities also attract many top US students because they are cheaper in general and often offer financial incentives to their most highly qualified in-state students (e.g. free tuition, room and board). </p>
<p>In short: public university = more bang for the buck.</p>
and describes the curriculum much better. At my school, we spent more time talking about other religions and philosophy (e.g. “proofs” of the existence of God) and ethics than about Catholic or Protestant beliefs.</p>