Hey. I applied with similar-ish stats this year and got in with a 25K scholarship to CAS and into the Presidential Scholars group,which basically means it’s a prep team for Grad school. You get priority status for grants and you get basically free travel for two weeks your first two years.
This is a good start.
First off, don’t worry about taking both the SAT and the ACT. You need to figure out which one you are good at and kill it.
I got into NYU with an ACT score alone by practicing a ridiculous amount at just that and finally getting my score up to a 34, although a score that high isn’t necessary unless you want Merit Scholarships.
(Don’t take the actual test until you have practiced enough that you think you will do really well. Every single time you take it that recorded score has to be sent to NYU. So don’t do it a bunch of times.)
And with a high GPA like you have you don’t really need that high of a ACT score just something in the 30s.
The one thing I honestly wish someone had told me a long while before i applied is that you should focus every single thing on your application towards your intended major.
Focus everything you write about, all of your extra curriculars, and the topic of your recommendation letters on your passion for psychology.
That was my intended major, I changed it to Neural Science during the registration process because I realized that appealed to me more, but you need to get rid of every single EC that doesn’t have to do with Psych.
Everything you write on your Common App has to relate to this.
It really helps them picture you helping a specific area of the university and will give them a fuller picture of you which will increase your chances of getting in with a scholarship.
Your essay needs to tie into this. In your Why NYU you need to touch on this. Every single thing you say has to be focused and specific.
Also maybe work on some research and internships in your field. All of your volunteer hours should tie into this too.
This will really put you over the edge and push you into the scholarship zone.
Hope this helps. I think you have a very good chance if you work hard this year.