I’m really interested in studying philosophy and/or computer science in college, but I don’t know where to start in terms of what universities I should be aiming for. Ideally, I’d like a medium-sized institution that will be able to provide a double major opportunity in these fields. I’ve already decided I liked Notre Dame, Stanford, and Carnegie Mellon (great for philosophical logic), but I’m thinking they’re too much of a gamble to be admitted to. Does anyone have any recommendations? For reference, my SAT I (2016 onward) is 1540 and my GPA is 4.0 (UW).
As another reach, you might want to look into Brown, which offers a flexible and open curriculum and would fit your size criterion. Amherst (reach), Hamilton and Vassar, though smaller, would offer you similar curricular flexibility and, to somewhat varying degrees (check their course catalogs), depth in your fields of interest. Williams (reach), another smaller school, would make sense as well for these fields in combination. URochester (fits your size criterion) would offer you a somewhat less selective alternative to CMU.
@DialecticalFruit, Majoring in CS at CMU requires applying to the School of Computer Science. The admission rate is almost that of MIT. Pursuing a duel major is tricky and also requires applying to the School of CS.
Do you have a location preference? Rural, urban, etc.?
Wesleyan is worth a look. The college is similar to Brown and Vassar