<p>For sure, different Ivies have different personalities. </p>
<p>DS is at Columbia and he is having a great time socially but he and others also work very hard. He loves the core curriculum there and loves to talk about ideas, the readings everyone is doing. And, yes, he loves NYC.</p>
<p>Brown has an open curriculum and, purportedly, the most chill student body of the Ivies. Providence is not a big city but it’s a nice one and you can take mass transit to Boston, etc.</p>
<p>Penn sounds like a potential option, too. Philly is a good city, lots of music and art, and the area around Penn has a good college feel. It used to be an unsafe area but isn’t now. They have a strong orientation toward service and like people who cross fields in interests. </p>
<p>All have much better FA than NYU typically does. </p>
<p>Why not go for it? With your stats, ECs and geographic advantage, you are competitive. Just make sure you do a good job with the supplements or it will be a waste of time. Make them interesting, well crafted bits of writing and make sure you understand the qualities of these particular schools and what they’re looking for.</p>