<p>It is a bit of a pity to be doing this at the last minute. Since you have your solid instate option you could have more explored colleges that excite you. I don’t think it is a matter of selling self short–it is up to you to fin and take advantage of opportunities wherever you la d. But there are some bonuses about some of the schools in the top. And there is the matter of finding something really right for you rather than just applying where you don’t know too much. However, if you put a few extra applications in now, you will have a few months to explore those colleges and get to know them. An application isn’t a commitment unless you ED.</p>
<p>I don’t think you should ED at NYU because a) you will have to take or leave the financial package without comparing and they are well known for having bad packages except in certain specific circumstances which you don’t meet, and b) you will likely get accepted RD. But no guarantees. Did you run the NPC for NYU and the other colleges? Colleges don’t give you up to your EFC, that is just the federal figure. NYU doesn’t even promise to meet need, so you could be easily ‘gapped’ and left to pay the entire thing. Or you could just get crummy aid, or surprise decent aid. Run the Net Price Calculators if you didn’t.</p>
<p>As far a the culture of the school and student body itself, I think you would like Yale and Brown. But you might not like the location as much as Columbia, which would also seem like a no brainer for a reach school for you as long as you understand the Core. Some students do not want the Core. That also is an issue at Chicago, but the Core is done differently at those 2 colleges. There is also Barnard but you sound like a dude. Brown is a pretty good place to be a premed if that is where you are heading, they also have PLME the 8 year program where you are pre-admitted to the med school but I doubt you would have time to write those essays for that program. Brown has a wonderful cooperative culture rather than an ultra competitive one that is built into some of the way they administer the college as well as the interdisciplinary nature of the departments and that trickles down to student life. And there is abundant opportunities for undergraduate research because of the small grad school all profs work with undergrads on research. Brown is in a smaller city, but it is a city. Has access to Boston in one hour but not same as living there.</p>
<p>People seem to love BC, but if you like NYU you might like BU too. You might like Northwestern, but it is suburban with easy access to Chicago. Hum, so many colleges to discuss.</p>