<p>I didn't read the whole thread but I just want to say: Don't pick an Ivy because it is an Ivy.</p>
<p>It is just an old football league. None of them are bad schools but for about half of them its more of a "Come to us, we are an Ivy" rather than standing on their own reputation and saying..."Come to us, we are Harvard." If you go for the Ivy for the name, that is what you get. If you look at the Ivies and find one where you really like the atmosphere, adore the campus, has great stuff in the fields you are looking at...then by all means, go for it. </p>
<p>There are plenty of great and prestigious universities out there that are not Ivies but may be a much better fit fo you. Look at the forums on this site that are active and look at the rankings for the top schools (but take their actual position with a grain of salt, they are at the top but its really hard to compare between them). </p>
<p>I guess what I am saying is that you can find prestigious schools that fit YOU rather than being limited by a short group of letters (Ivy, HYPS, etc).</p>
<p>And dont forget to look at UChicago ;)</p>