school advice...please! (r.e. astrophysics)

<p>I'm a high school junior from North Carolina. I want to make a career in astrophysics...I've looked at information for colleges but a lot of it is really confusing to choose where to go. I have a high GPA and high SAT scores. I also am involved in extracurriculars (I'm drum major for my school's marching band and I swim.) So I'm hoping that I have at least a shot at the schools I'm leaning towards.</p>

<p>I'm interested in Cornell both because of the excellence of the school and because of the family history we have related to the college. MIT also caught my eye in a big way. Other than that, I've looked into schools such as CalTech. I was hoping for advice, just trying to gather a list of schools...reaches, safeties, anything is appreciated!</p>

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<p>Why JHU?</p>

<p>Johns Hopkins is also the leading recipient of NASA research and development funding. The Director of NASA spoke very highly of the astrophysics research conducted at Hopkins…</p>

<p>Johns Hopkins is probably one of the universities at the forefront of physics and astronomy research today. Johns Hopkins can easily claim world leadership in astronomy research, a fact that ppl really do not know.</p>

<p>Hopkins is a powerhouse when it comes to astronomy and physics research.</p>

<p>Also check out Harvard, Princeton, UC Santa Cruz, Penn State, UIUC, Yale among other…</p>

<p>Thanks! I hadn’t thought of Hopkins, only knowing it for its medical school…I’ll be sure to check that out. :)</p>