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One way to cut down the list is to apply non binding early action to a couple colleges that you’ll probably get into. Then if you are accepted, you won’t need to apply to safeties and can focus on the reach schools. For example, I was accepted non-binding early action to Brown (they no longer offer this). So for regular decision, I only needed to apply to colleges I’d choose over Brown, which was only 4 schools – Stanford, MIT, Cornell, and Princeton. I ended up choosing Stanford and going into engineering. I have nothing but positive things to say about the school. It is an excellent choice for both STEM and many non-STEM areas.</p>