Match/Reach School Suggestions

(Sorry for the long post! I wanted to provide enough detail.)

I’m a junior from PA trying to build a college list. I’m mostly interested in schools in warmer climates and I’d prefer not to go much colder than where I live currently. (A little snow is tolerable, but generally the warmer the better.) California is not an option due to parental objections.

SAT: 2260 (710 M / 800 CR / 750 W), 2240 single sitting (710 W)
GPA: 4.0 unweighted in challenging classes, taking AP/Honors whenever available
Class Rank: currently 1 / 271 (liable to change but shouldn’t go below top 10%)
ECs: Pretty good I think? My main EC is the Technology Student Association. I’m extremely active in state-level leadership as a state officer and have consistently placed top ten in competitions at states and nationals. I also am involved in NHS and Key Club (50 service hours a year) and have played piano for ~8 years.

Potential Major: Biology or Neuroscience, also interested in Computer Science, considering pre-med
Finances: Probably not eligible for any need-based, but I do have a twin, so it’s possible. Parents have a lot saved for college but are encouraging me to find merit aid, especially since med school is a possibility.
Size: preferably mid-sized, don’t mind large if there’s an honors college
Location: Urban or suburban, definitely don’t want to be in the middle of nowhere

Here’s what I’m currently looking at, just to give you an idea:

Reach:
Johns Hopkins - Strong bio, honestly don’t know too much about it yet and would hate to apply just on reputation

Match:
University of Miami (first choice) - Visited and loved it. They have strong programs in my areas of interest plus I’m a legacy and there is potential merit aid.
University of Pittsburgh (maybe a safety because I’m in-state?)- Willing to overlook the cold because of in-state tuition and very strong bio department

Safety:
Temple - Eligible for full-tuition plus stipend, like the urban setting and they have decent science programs
University of Alabama, Birmingham - Strong neuroscience if that’s what I decide to do / strong science in general, lots of merit aid
University of Alabama - Will consider more if I make National Merit because of the scholarships

Any suggestions, especially for matches or reaches? Also please let me know if I miscategorized any of the schools on my list.

You may wish to look at Wake Forest, Duke; also the University of Virginia and UNC-Chapel HIll for public universities.

All of these schools have competitive merit scholarships available. Duke, UNC-CH, and UVA also have competitive, full-ride scholarships awarded through related foundations: The Robertson (Duke/UNC), the Morehead-Cain (UNC), and the Jefferson (UVA). For the latter two, you might ask your school’s guidance counselor(s) about the Morehead-Cain or the Jefferson Scholarship, for which you must be nominated by your school.

As a reach, take a look at Rice in Houston. https://financialaid.rice.edu/scholarships.aspx

Duke, Vanderbilt, Rice on the reachy side. I think Vanderbilt has some merit aid. When we visited Johns Hopkins last March, it was during a snowstorm with 5 inches of snow on the ground so it is hard to think of it as having a warmer climate. Maybe Emory as more of a target or likely.

Richmond would be a match with a shot at merit

Reaches
-College Of William & Mary
-Columbia University
-Duke University
-Emory University
-Georgetown University (Biology only)
-Princeton University (Neuroscience only)
-Tulane University (Neuroscience only)
-Vanderbilt University

Matches
-Baylor University
-Fordham University
-Southern Methodist University (Biology only)
-Villanova University

Safeties
-Duquesne University (Biology only)
-Saint Joseph’s University

nova southeastern
http://www.nova.edu/
20-25 miles from u of miami…and a true up and coming school