<p>Apply to Stanford, then. But applying to all Ivy League schools would be a little naive. I do not ‘chance’ people, but I will say that Stanford is a 1 for nearly everyone. Have you ever thought about why you are obsessed with Stanford/MIT? Both these schools have amazing science programs, but there are certainly many other schools that offer superb science programs as well. My point is that you should not get fixated on any selective school as it could end badly. Instead, think about what you want to study in college/what you want to get out of it. You would realize that there are many schools that could help you get what you want.</p>
<p>‘but from what i’ve heard the good US universities provide much more to your life than just education’</p>
<p>From my point of view, the most distinct feature of American higher education is the liberal arts college, not necessarily the “good US universities”. I have to wonder whether UT Austin would be better than HKU for you–both of these schools are big universities and cannot offer the same experience as that offered by a small LAC, although they do offer different experiences. The American system encourages you much more to become a “well rounded” person by having you fulfill general education requirements (courses in history, music, art, English, etc) than its British/Asian counterparts (although some of the students I know at British unis do this on their own). But this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apply to schools outside America. Mind you, though – UT Austin is very selective indeed, with an acceptance rate of below 25% for international students. I would hardly count it as a safety school.</p>
<p>Although data suggests otherwise (your admission chances at Brown increase proportionately with your SAT scores, but it is likely that the majority of applicants with those high test scores also have really amazing accomplishments outside of the classroom), the SAT score cannot make your application, but it can certainly break your application. So while the difference between a 2200 and a 2400 won’t be emphasized in admission committees, low test scores would trigger serious concerns.</p>
<p>PS I think you were looking at in-state costs for UT Austin. For an out-of-state student, which certainly includes internationals, the cost of attendance at UT-Austin in the year 2013-14 was around $46k. Can you afford this?</p>