<p>I don’t understand the emphatic “too many schools!” responses, considering that half of the list is UCs which are essentially one app. That said, I agree with whoever said that if your stats make Cal a possibility for you, you don’t need to include Merced, and if Merced is anything but the safest of safeties, you have no real chance at Cal. No realistic list needs to have both of those schools on it.</p>
<p>Also, did you leave Davis off on purpose or by accident?</p>
<p>In any case, it won’t cost you anything in effort, and not much in money, to include every UC, if that’s what you really want to do.</p>
<p>Where in CA do you live? The sooner you’re able to visit a few campuses the better. It is hard for many kids to decide which school they like better just on paper. </p>
<p>Also, if you care to share information about how much you’re able to pay, etc., folks here can advise you better. If you’re willing/able to shell out for OOS publics, you might also think about whether some privates would work for you.</p>