<p>“I’ve played flute for 8 years as a hobby but haven’t participated in competitions (can I still write this?)”</p>
<p>Absolutely - it’s a major activity so it counts.</p>
<p>Sounds like you could just take a list of the top 30 universities and look up which ones are near cities you are interested in and offer your majors. Most would qualify. </p>
<p>To add to jshain’s list: Wash U (St. Louis), University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia), Columbia (New York City), University of Chicago (guess) and Cornell (Ithica). </p>
<p>Be cautious regarding the University of California schools - with major budget cuts, students are having difficulty finishing their degrees in 4 years, classes are huge, and there may be more cuts in resources to come. Much of their reputation derives from their outstanding graduate programs.</p>