<p>So ive had a pretty interested in the top colleges in the US for mechanical engineering, but i would like to get an idea of where im likely to be accepted before applying. Currently a Junior in America </p>
<ol>
<li>I am of Indian ethnicity, was born there and moved to Thailand 4 weeks after birth. </li>
<li>Lived in Bangkok for 7 years, then moved to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Attended a world renown private British school and attained great academic and sporting achievements. </li>
<li>After 8 years i moved to America to a public high school </li>
</ol>
<p>The move to America struck me hard as i was unaware of the general grading system, the subjects did not match my previous school's and my grades came out poorly
This year however i have managed to shoot up to almost all A's with challenging Honors and AP classes</p>
<p>my previous achievements:
Grade 6 classical guitarist
U19 South-east-asian sports competitions(SEASAC)
2nd in Kuala lumpur cross country (ISAKL)
Athletics and Basketball South-east-asian tournaments(FOBISSEA)
at the age of 10 i came #4 in Malaysia and the World for an abacus based math competition out of thousands of competitors
many charity hours
Always had A's except for a B here and there (excluding first year at US)
many, many board positions
Junior black belt at taekwondo
planning to do a Photography internship in summer
english as third language
great exposure to culture of Indians, Thais, M'sians, Chinese, British and now American</p>
<p>Having always been among the top students in my school, i fear that my first year at US will affect my college apps. The average GPA for the High school years would be affected badly by that year
But i will be taking many more AP's and challenging classes senior year</p>
<p>Would a college understand the one year of bad grades due to my change of school + country?</p>
<p>Would having lived in many places add to my diversity and seem attractive in an application?</p>
<p>Where am i likely to get in if i end up with roughly a 4.8 GPA and 2200+ SAT score at the end of this year? </p>
<p>Will my Class rank affect my application? </p>
<p>What should i stress upon in my college apps to stand out? </p>
<p>Please do help, i am rather confused as to my position in a college's point of view</p>
<p>*aiming for UCB, Caltech, Harvard, Princeton...</p>
<p>Thanks! Much appreciated</p>