1. For most US colleges (including all the ones you listed), you must apply by January 1 of the year you want to attend. There are a lot of documents you need t

1. For most US colleges (including all the ones you listed), you must apply by January 1 of the year you want to attend. There are a lot of documents you need to send in from your school and teachers so you need to start applying at least 1-2 months before that deadline. You also need to take standardized tests (SATs), so again, you have to plan for that at least 3 months in advance, and probably a lot more if you wanted to study for the test (and you really do need to study for the test). So it's too late to apply for entry in September. If you're taking a gap year you would be able to apply. 2. Getting into the schools you listed is incredibly difficult, even for an American citizen. For an international/foreign student, the bar is set even higher. 3. The top American colleges will usually offer financial aid to everyone who needs it, including international students. These colleges are incredibly competitive (the three colleges you listed do offer financial aid). There is a special process for financial aid; you must specifically apply for it. Colleges that are not top-tier typically factor in financial aid into admissions; meaning those who need financial aid face a higher standard in admissions. Some colleges (usually the wealthiest) do not factor in financial need into admissions. 4. I seriously doubt any admissions officers will now with git or github is. Far more impressive are internships or actual products you have shipped on the App Store or online. And you really need to sell yourself - in your applications you would probably need to specifically say that X app is on the app store, X number of users and $X revenue, etc.