@Data10 I’m not sure how anyone is really at the top of their class unless they have a high GPA. HYPSM would not be a good example of colleges that most kids could get into including mine. It’s not a great comparison. MY DS has the Stats for GTown, but he chose to apply ED to American where he was in the top of the pool. I’m not advocating that if you have the stats for an HYPSM that you should go to some regional or community college. One of our friends went to a state flagship where he was well above their entering stats. He was the top (GPA) of his class and had a great LSAT score which earned him a full ride to WUSTL and attended GTown on a partial scholarship. There is a strategy to not going to the best school you can get into for undergrad if you are planning on going to a selective program after undergrad. Being in the top percentage of the admittance pool gives certain advantages. For many full pay parents, merit at private and OOS schools does play a part and schools don’t tend to give merit to people who are in the middle/bottom of their admit pool. So there are very valid reasons for going to a school where you are at the top.