dadtwogirls: this was a miscommunication on my part, to be honest. i love being in an ACTUAL competitive environment, with peers and mentors who push me to be the best i can be. on the other hand, i very much dislike being in the type of competitive environment where peers are sabotaging others in order to gain favor for themselves (which is my high school). like collegemom3717 said, there are definitely some schools that are more “collaborative competitive”, which I will definitely be looking more into.
i will absolutely look into more safety schools, as well as applying to my reach and match schools. i appreciate your advice; thank you for your time. 