Yale SCEA or UPenn ED? Also need some matches&safeties

International female attending a U.S. high school, very small and rural

Intended major: English and/or Gender Studies
GPA: 99.44 (1 B in AP Calc one semester), school does not rank but probably val or sal
SAT: 2390 (first-sitting) CR 800 Math 800 Writing 790
SAT II: Math 800 Chem 790 Lit (expected 780-800)
APs: Chem (5) Macro (4) US History, Lang, Calc AB, Micro, U.S. Politics & Gov (all expect 5s)
Senior Course Schedule: AP Psychology, AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP World History, AP Literature, AP Spanish, Music, Study Hall
(13 in total)

Extracurriculars
1.Writing
Head Poetry Editor & Director at national-scale literary magazine (10th grade~)
Editor-in-Chief and founder of school literary magazine (10th grade~)
Editor-in-Chief of school newspaper (9th grade~)
Student Reporter for expat magazine
Full-ride scholarship to Kenyon Young Writers’ Review

  1. LGBT rights (all done in my home country, which is intolerant of gay people) Student representative of one of the only regional LGBT rights organizations in home country Organizing Committee of the only queer festival in home country, will be organizing committee of two (of the only) queer film festivals next year Coordinated & translated for George Takei's visit to home country One of top 3 speakers selected to speak at nation's capital TEDx event about "identity" (my focus was adolescents' gender identity & sexuality) Working on research pertaining to perception of LGBT, will present at national LGBT rights forum next year

3.Work Experience/Volunteering
SAT Tutor (earned over $1500 over last summer break), 15 hrs/week
Teach writing at local elementary school (9th grade~10th grade)
Assistant teacher at local library’s program & reading buddy (11th grade~)
-> total of 100~200 hours. Haven’t checked

–>going to found an international branch of a famous NGO based in New York over the summer. Might run for student council next year

Awards
Ntl Linguistics Olympiad silver medal, among other little writing awards like Scholastic silver key, published in a couple of literary magazines. School awards for most humanitarian, intellectual, inspiring, etc. $16,000 annual scholarship from famous electronic company (my father’s an employee there), also $8,000 highest possible school scholarship next year. Honestly not a lot of awards:( planning to submit to scholastic & concord this year, trying for intl linguistics olympiad next year

Teacher recs I expect to be very, very good. Also getting one from headmaster.
Essay is going to be about pretty significant (at least to me) family/financial hardship or doing an overnight protest against city’s banning of queer festival, coming out as straight to gay friends. I’m strongly opinionated and weird, people always tell me that I have a very unique personality and I hope to bring this out in my essays.

List of schools I’m applying to:
Harvard
Yale (SCEA)
Stanford
UPenn
Brown
Dartmouth
Williams
Swarthmore
Washington & Lee
UVA
Sarah Lawrence
—> not a lot of matches or safeties, I know, but I’m also applying to UK & Canadian universities where I’m certain to get in based on my GPA & test scores

I just don’t know if I should go for Yale (my dream school) or UPenn or Brown (top choice, would be thrilled to go there) during EA. I don’t want to waste my precious early admissions chance. Any advice? Also tell me some good matches & safeties please (preferably the east coast, as I lived in the west coast for too long). Thank you!

Yale

Have you visited Yale? Are your familiar with the residential college system? This is all about fit and preference, but all things being equal, one can hardly go wrong with Yale.

Chances, anyone?

For H-Y-S, it is just hard to say, except to state that you are in the ballpark to be seriously considered. That said, I would say you are in at the remaining Ivy schools other schools listed, except for perhaps Williams, which is uber competitive and hard to predict.