@happy1 @mamaedefamilia Yes, I understand that admission is not guaranteed anywhere, but I would be on par to be a reasonably competitive applicant. I’m the type of student that most people envision would normally apply to schools like that. Not much of a nordic skier. I have a list of schools that I’M interested in, the problem is that I need a way to explain to these crazy people why I’m not applying/going to the most prestigious, brand-name school I can find.