<p>with regards to what theoneo said a while back about being "wary of applying to too few schools," I would say that's the opposite. it's possible that applying to too many schools can backfire.</p>
<p>sometimes people sabotage themselves because they apply to way too many schools--like all the ivies, for example--and then adcom is unable to see anything about a candidate that screams "I want to come to your school!!!"</p>
<p>one of my friends in high school--1500+ SAT, national merit, 4th in the class, really interesting ECs--got rejected from every single ivy to which she applied (she applied to all but Harvard), but then got into Duke AND was offered money to go there--a school that ranks higher than several ivy league schools. my theory, of course, is that ivy adcoms talk to each other and were put off by her seemingly undiscerning application strategy.</p>