<p>So here is my list. I just want feedback on it. You could suggest some schools or suggest some to be reconsidered. Any feedback is greatly appreciated. The honorable mentions are schools that at this point are borderline yes/no but leaning toward no. For suggestions the only criteria i look for in a school is good prestige, larger student body, and preferably in or near a large metropolitan area. Thanks again in advance
Reach
Columbia University
Georgetown University
Harvard College
Stanford University
University of Pennsylvania
University of Chicago
High Match/Low Reach
Duke University
Northwestern University
University of California: Berkeley
University of Southern California
Low Match
George Washington University
New York University
Northeastern University
University of California: San Diego
University of Miami
Safety
American University
Boston University
University of Arizona
University of Denver
University of Washington
Honorable Mentions
University of California: Las Angeles
Notre Dame University
University of Michigan
University of Virginia
Emory University
John Hopkins University
Boston College
Carnegie Mellon University</p>
<p>What do you want to study? Are you ok with a really cold winter? Are you more likely to feel comfortable with nerds or jocks or a combo of both? Is money a concern? would you like a student body that has more female or more males? Are bigtime sports important to you?</p>
<p>Yeah, Schmaltz is right. It’s easy to hit these broad categories but the schools that meet these can still be wildly different from each other. Georgetown, Penn, Stanford, Columbia…all of these are quite different form each other</p>
<p>I would put the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Rochester on your list over many in your Low Match/Safety categories.</p>
<p>I hope that isn’t your final list.</p>
<p>No its not my final list, im making changes and making it smaller as i go. As for your questions, i want to study business or economics - i’m fine with cold winters i live in PA - I’m kinda a nerd and a jock so a combo would be alright. Money is no concern.</p>
<p>We dont know your stats so we cant verify your reach/match/safety lists. (some kids are deluded, some are too humble, and some are just clueless). But I can sort of surmise where you are from the list. That being said, you could add any number colleges from the USNWR National or LAC list. Random selection is not a very good way to pick a school. Many schools share a lot in common and there is a lot of commonality with dorm life and cafeteria food, but its a mistake to assume there are not cultural differences and quality differences in programs. Picking colleges from your SAT scores is also not a good place to be, though useful in the INITIAL stages of the college search.</p>
<p>Nothing wrong with your list, but its too long and so diverse its hard to understand what your real objective is. You might make a list of things you want in a college experience and things that would be a deal killer. Then compare that list to the schools and see how they fit (using collegeview, or Barron’s or Petersens directory.) </p>
<p>You need to get that list down to 20 total, then eventually to 12 or so. You want roughly 3 or 4 in each category of reach, match, safety. DONT put any school on your final list that you know ahead of time you would not be happy. Every year kids get into reach schools, most get into matches and safeties but its also true that some only get into their safety schools. Its a game of roulette to a large extent. </p>
<p>Pick schools for a solid reason, not something superficial like their USNWR overall ranking. If you do an inventory of YOUR skillset and YOUR personality traits and YOUR objectives, then your list should be just fine in the end.</p>
<p>lol i dont see how duke is a high reach/low match. its a reach for just about every1. Just list your stats because northeastern would be a safety if you were truly looking at the first 10</p>
<p>After talking to my guidance councilor today. I was definitely able to narrow it down to these 20. The category they are in is based on their college board acceptance %</p>
<p>Reach
• Columbia University
• Georgetown University
• Harvard College
• Stanford University
• University of Pennsylvania
• University of Chicago
High Match/Low Reach
• Northwestern University
• University of California: Berkeley
• University of Southern California
• Emory University
• UCLA
• Duke University
Low Match
• George Washington University
• New York University
• University of Miami
• Northeastern University
Safety
• American University
• Boston University
• University of Denver
• University of Washington</p>
<p>Most of these schools have very liberal student bodies. Considering your username, you may feel alienated at them.</p>
<p>^^college=liberal. i’d say cut off miami northeastern(been there, not very academic) and u of denver, u of washington. where are you a resident?</p>
<p>Holy Cross and Davidson are 2 very good schools located near big cities. Both schools have strong alumni networks.</p>
<p>Yeah…this thread is perplexing. Basing reach/match/safety on the basis of college board acceptances? Meaning of people with SAT’s like you? Acceptance rates are something to consider because its important to know your chances irrespective of what your scores are, but more particularly how they relate to YOU. </p>
<p>Then there is no apparent geographic organization here, nor other agenda/objective stated or apparent. Except prestige. Ugh.</p>
<p>We wanna be helpful but you arent giving us enough information to really make a sound judgment about your list. I do believe that many students get way too granular about particular schools (and obsessed) and therefore a broader approach and open mindedness is more beneficial, and likely result in better acceptance rate for YOU. But being too broad is also a bad idea. </p>
<p>The point above about the political culture of these schools is also valid…you may be someone who doesnt mind, is contrarian, or relishes a good political argument. That is entirely up to you. Or maybe even apolitical, despite your name here. Just another factor to consider.</p>
<p>I could suggest a bunch of good schools, but without more information about your stats, interests, geographical location and focus…its really hard to do so.</p>
<p>If you apply to 15 or 20 schools then your applications will reek of that…the machine gun approach. And the admissions committees will smell it and may consider your application disingenuous or lacking in interest for THEM. Be careful. That is why I recommend no more than about 12. 3 or 4 in each category. </p>
<p>YOU determine what you want and why. Not the college board. Make a list of what you want to do, objectives, interests, factors of import, factors that dont matter at all, and work from there. Then we can help you.</p>
<p>I have a sense your stats are pretty high, as in above 1400/1600scale. You either live out West and want to come east or you live in the East and want to consider going out West for lifestyle reasons. Am I correct?</p>
<p>Finally, I am not judging you as elitist. In fact I suspect you are trying to avoid that to some extent by not posting your stats. All of the schools you mention are great schools, but vastly different in culture, location, weather, program strengths, size, etc. And many of them may appear at first glance to be match to you, but they may be tougher nuts to crack than you suspect, ie. Northwestern and Duke.</p>
<p>If you are a Junior with no stats yet and just getting an early jump on the process, then that is a horse of a different color. </p>
<p>More info please.</p>
<p>It’s unusal to see Harvard and U of A on the same college list. Let me add that almost no student is interested in both U of C and Northwestern - do you need to visit and see where you fit? Which of all your schools appeals to you, and why?</p>
<p>If you don’t put more of yourself into the process, you will be disappointed in your results. US News and World Report doesn’t care where you go to college. 
</p>
<p>After reading your other posts, I see that you are very conservative and a senior with excellent stats. I’d redo your list as follows:
Reach
• Columbia University
• Harvard College
• Stanford University
• University of Pennsylvania
• Duke University</p>
<p>High Match/Low Reach
• Georgetown University (except SFS)
• Northwestern University
• University of Chicago
• UCLA </p>
<p>Low Match/Safety
• Emory University
• George Washington University
• New York University
• Boston University</p>
<p>You don’t need more than four of five low reach/safeties, unless you are searching for the best financial aid. These schools are fairly consistent in who they admit. I am surprised you haven’t considered Vanderbilt, which has great poli sci and econ, and is in a state where the republicans run pretty much of everything.</p>
<p>I won’t critique your list, but I will critique your username. It is awesome.</p>
<p>The last category should read
Low Match
Emory University
New York University
Boston University
Safety
George Washington University</p>
<p>To save you guys some time i went and got these stats that were in my other posts. Hope it helps. </p>
<p>1) Well i’ll list a few that i can think of off the top of my head. currently 2nd in my class. class treasurer, as well as officer in FBLA (been to states 3 times and nationals once), TARS (i founded), Student Council, and Foreign Language. I’m also involved in but not an officer in Key club and SADD for community service as well as volunteering as an AYSO ref) Currently i have 9 Varsity letters with 3 on the way (pending injury “knock on wood”.) I can think of 11 AP classes (including this years schedule.) Don’t know my GPA but I’ve have never had anything lower than a 95 and my 0-100% GPA is usually in the high 98%. SAT 2270. Took Spanish for 6 years and speak fluently. Have some very strong connections too. </p>
<p>2) and on another subject, i have visited a lot of campuses from NYU to the U of C. I have even had a look @ some schools in london and madrid, but they had a bad vibe on that side of the planet. </p>
<p>3) As for liberals, i love being in big cities which are liberal heavens, so its a little bit of a trade off but i can deal with it. A spend my summers in NYC to get away from the farmville i live in so i’m used to the liberals.</p>
<p>I visited northeastern and found it academic and have several smart friends there same with u Miami. I would keep them both. Northeastern easily had the best urban campus and i looked at georgetown and nyu. Also check out Wellesley if you are of gender.becareful listening to collegebound he/she thought Stanford had undergrad biz school rofl.</p>