<p>Hey, your choice. Like I said before, Vanderbilt, Emory, and Rice are much easier to get into than the Ivy League, but will give you immense financial aid equal to Ivy League schools. With an EFC of 0 you would get a large stipend to pay for your personal costs. Their physics programs are less prestigious, although Rice is known for being a feeder school for physics doctorates. Last time I checked, Rice was around the top 25 for physics, which ranks above quite a few top 15 schools.</p>
<p>When applying to top 15 schools, you will be competing with other top students who also apply for transfer. At least several students try to upgrade from say Cornell to Princeton, and they have near-perfect grades as well. The field is more competitive because you are applying to top physics programs, which attract top physics students like yourself into trying for a transfer. Then there are the single digit transfer acceptance rates; by now you already know of them.</p>
<p>All I am suggesting is to put some easier to get into schools on your list, in addition to the ones you dream to attend. I know you are already at one of the top physics schools in the country, but transferring up from there is very, very difficult. Given your strong credentials, I think the most probable situation is you get waitlisted at most or all of your dream schools, and getting accepted from there is near impossible. Therefore, I have to recommend adding less prestigious, but just as generous schools to your list, like the ones I listed in the first paragraph. The costs of applying to them are rather small anyway; sometimes you can even get fee waivers.</p>