As a general comment, I’d say that if your application would be competitive at schools such as WUStL, Hamilton, Barnard and Vassar, then you probably have already included at least near-safeties on your original list.
Might not fit the location requirement, but: Hobart?
While Hampshire would be a safety, it is not near Boston or any other large city; in fact, its rather isolated. And a 2100 is just about average SAT for both Vassar and Hamilton so those are high matches/low reaches at best.
^ Yes, so if the OP would be competitive at the above named “most selective” colleges (#20), then her prospects at the several “more selective” colleges on her twelve-school original list would appear to be reasonably solid. However, I wouldn’t discourage her from expanding her range as she sees fit.
I can only use personal experience with the schools where my D applied with a 2100/4.2 as well. While she didn’t have superb ECs or graduate from a private prep, she did graduate top of her class in a great MA school and had decent ECs and was waitlisted or rejected from Barnard, Vassar and Colby, among other "mores selective (#20-45) schools. Some may think my view is skewed but I just don’t think a white girl from the NE with a 4.0 can consider these schools matches, at least they didn’t work out that way for my daughter.
You have a good long list. It’s January 6th. A safety is a school where you are sure to get in. A small private LAC because of their economics often rejects students who haven’t shown the requisite interest, and it’s really hard to call any of them safeties.
Why not apply to some public schools where you are sure to get in. I’m assuming that you are from California with UCs? How about Simon Fraser University in British Columbia, or McGill University in Montreal. More your kind of folks would be University of Vermont or University of Delaware. These are not too big public schools.
@NEPatsGirl : My point has been that if the OP would be reasonably competitive at the “most selective” (both literally and by category) schools on her list (WUStL, Hamilton, Barnard, Vassar et al), then she should be a strong candidate at those that would be categorized as “more selective” (GW, BU, Skidmore).
Colby has not been mentioned as a safety anywhere in this thread.
In case there’s any chance of confusion, @samantha827, note that St. Lawrence and Sarah Lawrence are distinct institutions.
bump
St Michael’s, UScranton, LaSalle, Elmira, Ithaca are all possible safeties for you as long as you demonstrate interest (fill out the “get info” form, etc.)
RUN THE NPC to see if they’d be affordable.
U of Iowa. U of Miami. Pittsburgh.