<p>Your assumption is true for the most part, but you should also be on the lookout for exceptions - generous schools which are lower in ranking. I would suggest liberal arts colleges because of their good financial aid, but I get the feeling you prefer national universities.</p>
<p>Your high school plan could work well, but you have to revisit what a safety, match, and reach are. Match schools are close in ranking to your own, while reach schools are above and safeties are below. For someone like you who is already in a top 25 school, I would recommend going for more reaches than safeties. You just need some money schools which are easier to get into, but in return, the physics program at these schools are weaker and less competitive.</p>
<p>With your statistics and interest in physics, Emory and Vanderbilt would be normal matches, and they will meet a lot of your need. On the other hand, you have to move South and their physics programs carry less prestige, but at least you get money. Also consider Rice, which is getting much harder (low to normal reach) to get into but also more geared toward engineering and the natural sciences. We can just ignore Brown because they are need-aware for transfer students.</p>
<p>The truth is a lot of transfer students have high GPAs in the 3.9-4.0 range, coupled with impressive internships. You are one of many qualified applicants. I think you should aim for your dream schools - Cornell, CalTech, MIT, Stanford. Just make sure to throw in Emory and Vanderbilt as your backup matches. Then again, everything I say might be meaningless in the face of a bad Fall semester next year, so you should come back in about 6 months.</p>