<p>Haven't been to D but middy is like a J Crew catalogue.</p>
<p>miami is very preppy. My dad went there, and it really is the king of preppiness. It's why I'm not applying lol :p</p>
<p>All this talk about Reach vs Fit vs Safety. However you mentioned you want Political Sceince. The heart of Politics is Washington and the best school there is Georgetown. It may be a slight Reach for you, but you should consider it, a great school.</p>
<p>Re: Penn State
If you aren't absolutely sure what you want (and even if you think you are), I would apply to different "kinds" of schools. Not only reach/match/safety issues, but size, location, public/private, available programs, etc. I know my son changed his mind several times since he completed his applications! What would it hurt to leave a big university on the list? Also, they have an honors college that reportedly supplies a "smaller" environment within a big school. You have a LONG way to go, and most juniors don't have their lives mapped out. I would keep some variety on the list for now.</p>
<p>Might want to consider Bowdoin and Holy Cross both better schools than Lafayette or Kenyon. HC and Bowdoin also have great alumni networks. For location Holy Cross-1 hour from Boston is better than most LAC's located in the middle of no where like Colgate.</p>
<p>Although being in the middle of nowhere can be a TON of fun; case in point Dartmouth. I could not imagine a better experience, more community, and more to do!</p>
<p>... having just been to the site, this list is compiled off of princetonreview.com's school matching service, which, being good for BEGINNING research on universities and colleges that match you, is not nearly as competent as a Newsweek book, US News Book, this web site, and actually going around to web sites looking at schools.</p>