@Doriyah Like many students who come on CC, you have a vision of schools as being set is some absolute hierarchy, with every college having an objective “rank” in their hierarchy. The view is furthered by the dozen or so “College Ranking” websites, and by the millions who believe that everything in the universe can be ranked in such a manner.
However, in reality, the only way that you should rank you college choices is by how well a college fits you.
To see if a college is a good fit, you must ignore rankings of any type. They will do little but confuse you. Look at the student body, including the spread of GPA scores, but, no less important, attitudes, background, activities. Are the into sports? Are they preppy or geeky., etc. Look at the location and the surroundings, Look at climate and geography. Look at things like Greek life, student activities and sports. Look at opportunities like international programs and internships. Look at the majors that are available. Look at the size of the student body. Look at cost.
This are the things which will determine whether you will succeed, not the USNews rank.
There are, literally, hundreds of excellent colleges out there, and a few dozen of them will be really good matches for you. Don’t limit yourself by focusing on the ranking of a college.
You claim that you don’t want to go “lower” that Villanova.
Are you claiming that Ohio State is “too low” for you? Perhaps Penn State, Purdue, Pitt, Rutgers, U Washington, UConn, UMD College Park, UMass Amherst, UMN, Fordham, VTech, MSU, SUNY Stony Brook, and hundreds more? All of them are ranked “lower” than Villanova by USNews. Niche ranks Tulane, Bates, UIUC, UC Davis and many of the top Liberal Arts Colleges, like Macalaster, Bates, Pitzer, and Vassar lower than it does Villanova (in general their ranking is one of the worst of the entire silly lot).
There are amazing colleges and universities which are all “ranked lower” than Villanova, from U Vermont to Texas Tech, From U Colorado to Miami, Ohio. There are Liberal Arts colleges Like Reed, Holy Cross, Oberlin, Bucknell, Lafayette, Trinity, Lawrence, and many, many more.
Do you know the “right hand” rule when you are going out to a restaurant? That is when you cover the price with your right hand, and decide what you want to eat, based on the description. Rather than price, cover the rankings of colleges, and select for your list, based on the characteristics which will ensure your success.