USNews isn’t the best indication of ranking, as it’s essentially a popularity contest. Not that the top 50 don’t tend to deserve it, but there are other great schools within the top 100 or so that you may be missing out on.
@whenderson272 Anything above a 33 for your ACT score! Kind of like how a 1500 SAT is awesome for most mid-tier schools and some top schools but average for Ivies - everyone with a decently high score is applying, of course.