<p>The only reason to choose a college is not prestige. Many people have far less realistic dreams than Appalachian State, so it’s refreshing that you really want to go to a regional public school that your parents can probably afford.</p>
<p>If you get into MIT or Duke…so what? You sound like you really want to go to ASU and I would wager that you will find ASU far more affordable than the other schools, even with substantial merit aid. (Possibly MIT will give you enough merit aid to make the cost similar to ASU.) So go to the school you want to go to, and don’t worry about the prestige. “Best” school is subjective, and not always the most highly-ranked or prestigious one.</p>