<p>Aside from the overrepresentation of some particular states outside of region, such as CA and MD, the results do not surprise me. While highly selective schools are national, applying students are more likely to favor a school that is within driving distance over one that is thousands of miles away unless the school that is thousands of miles away offers something important to the student that cannot be found at the closer school. I know many on this site consider going to a school in the ivy athletic conference this type of important detail. But a lot of top students do not see it the way, particular those outside of the northeast. Many in the west would emphasize applying to Stanford, Caltech, the UC system, or the Claremont Colleges instead of ivies. Many in the southeast favor Duke or UVA. Many in the midwest favor Chicago, Northwestern, or Michigan.</p>