<p>Quick stats:
4.0 GPA, 33 ACT
Great extracurriculars (sports, lots of music (2 orchestras, 3 instruments), study abroad program, science internship over entire high school carer, countless hours of volunteering, top of class, most difficult course load which is all honors and AP classes)</p>
<p>HIGH REACH
Harvard
Yale
Columbia
Stanford
Brown
Pomona</p>
<p>REACH
Swarthmore
University of Chicago
University of Southern California</p>
<p>MATCH
Carleton
University of Michigan
University of Rochester
Macalester College
George Washington University</p>
<p>SAFETY
Ohio State University (instate flagship)
Boston University
Occidental College</p>
<p>Is my list okay? I know I need to eliminate like 10 schools, but I don't know how! I'm a rising senior, by the way, and looking at majoring in Music along with something else in the sciences or humanities.</p>
<p>Are my safeties good enough safeties?</p>
<p>I think majoring in music changes a bit since some of these schools (at least some) require auditions as much as stats to get in. Can you repost in the music majors forum for better directed responses?</p>
<p>Have you checked affordability on all of them? (net price calculator for need-based aid, if not affordable on just need based aid, check for merit scholarship difficulty)</p>
<p>If being able to afford a school requires a reach level merit scholarship, the school is a reach, even if gaining just admission would just be a match or safety.</p>
<p>Safeties must be definitely affordable.</p>
<p>You can eliminate schools which you would not choose over your safeties under any circumstances.</p>
<p>“You can eliminate schools which you would not choose over your safeties under any circumstances.”</p>
<p>What do you mean by this?</p>
<p>I like my safeties…but I love my matches and reaches more. Is there something wrong with that?</p>
<p>Ok, if you like your reaches and matches more, then that statement does not apply.</p>
<p>It is just that some students seem to have the mistaken impression that they must apply to reaches and matches, even though they are unable to find many or any that they like better than their safeties.</p>
<p>Oh, okay. I’m willing to go to my safeties…I definitely like them.</p>
<p>Are they good enough safeties, though?</p>
<p>I would look at each schools music program, maybe visit a few, and think about which programs I prefer and which environments I enjoy more than others.</p>