<p>Hi! Thank you for paying attention :) I really appreciate it!
My name's Lera and I'm from Kyrgyzstan (a post-Soviet country in Asia). I am a U.S. citizen but I've never been there.
I am a senior in one of the best private boarding schools in my country. I really want to study in the USA and major in Computer Science. So far, I've taken TOEFL & SAT three times. However, the results are awful:
1st attempt (without studying):
CR -440
M - 560
W - 550</p>
<h2>total - 1550</h2>
<p>2nd attempt:
CR - 520
M - 520
W - 560</p>
<h2>total -1600</h2>
<h2>3rd attempt - took in November, waiting for my scores.</h2>
<p>TOEFL:
Listening - 28/30
Writing - 28/30
Reading - 26/30
Speaking - 19/30</p>
<h2>Total - 101/120</h2>
<p>We are graded on a 5-scaled system here. So far, I have all 5's. It's like GPA 4.0/4.0</p>
<h2>Unfortunately, we don't have AP classes here, but I took the most challenging ones available.</h2>
<p>Awards - 1st in regional olympics (English)</p>
<h2>2nd in national olympics (english)</h2>
<p>Actively participate in my school's social life.
EC's - swimming (no awards), basketball, robotics, running.
No financial aid required.</p>
<p>Here are my first choices:
UCLA
University of southern California
UC-San Diego
University of Maryland, College Park
University of California, Irvine
University of Massachusetts Amherst
New York University
University of California, Santa Barbara
University of California, Davis
Boston University
University of California, Santa Cruz
Stony Brook University, New york</p>
<p>What are my chances of getting in? How can I improve?
Are there any good universities apart from the ones listed above that could accept me?
Thanks in advance,
Lera.</p>
Any ideas about how can I increase my chances of getting in?</p>