<p>So let’s get this out of the way - I agree with the suggestions of Columbia, UPenn and Brown for Ivies given your interests. Chicago has more of a quirky kind of feel, but it is very liberal and in an urban area. You may consider Stanford - it’s about 40 minutes from San Francisco and 20 minutes from San Jose, so it’s not super urban, but you might otherwise like it.</p>
<p>Okay, but with that said - I got similar comments in my senior year of high school. I had the stats to get into an Ivy League or other top colleges, but I didn’t even apply to any Ivies. All of my top-choice “dream” schools were safety schools for me, and the college I ended up attending was definitely a safety school for me - I attended on a full merit scholarship. I remember I told one of my favorite teachers where I would be going to college, and he made a face and told me I could’ve done so much better.</p>
<p>But you know what, that’s where I wanted to go! There were some features of colleges that were really important to me and my eventual choice had all of those things. I felt at home when I visited. And I love, love, love my undergrad college. The classes were challenging - not Ivy-hard, of course, but they made me think critically and grow as a person yet I didn’t feel like I had to kill myself studying. My classmates were bright and service-oriented young women who shared my values. I still donate every year and if I could get back inexpensively to volunteer or if we did alumnae interviews, I would. I love the alumnae network, I love my former classmates, and I had a fantastic developmental experience there. And it hasn’t hurt my career at all, from what I can tell - I got a PhD from an Ivy League institution and am currently doing a postdoc at a top research university.</p>
<p>That’s what’s important about a college - enjoying the experience while getting a good education. The vast majority of gainfully employed, happy people did not go to an Ivy League university - or even one like the ones you’re considering. All of the schools you listed are excellent schools, and honestly they are all top schools too, even if they aren’t the pinnacle of the elite. Boston College and Northeastern are no slouches, and many students successfully go onto med school from there. Plus you sound like you have values that are important to you and these universities match those values.</p>
<p>And honestly, I have found that my undergrad college doesn’t really matter anymore. It only comes up as a curiosity in casual conversation when getting to know new friends; what really matters career-wise is where I went to grad school. You can get into med school from any of your choices and then your undergrad won’t matter anymore. But even if you chose not to go to med school, you can still have great job prospects from any of those school (even the unknown state university).</p>