<p>Agree with haavain - Schools like Pitt and Tulane are your true safeties, because they have the med school/research environment you want, but are not as selective as Wash U or any of the others you mention. In addition, you could most likely get quite a bit of scholarship money from either, but maybe money is not an issue for you. Finally, Tulane also has a very nice campus, since you mentioned aesthetics. GW is all concrete, and Pitt is somewhere in-between.</p>
<p>So by all means apply to any or all of those schools, but Pitt and Tulane make the most sense for you as safeties, I think.</p>