<p>Boston College<br>
Boston University<br>
Brown<br>
Columbia<br>
Duke<br>
Georgetown<br>
Harvard<br>
Johns Hopkins<br>
Princeton<br>
U Penn<br>
U Rochester
Tufts<br>
Stanford<br>
Union (My parents heard from soneone that it is good)
UMass Amherst<br>
Yale </p>
<p>I'm trying to narrow down my list, and at the same time get rid of some reach schools... I'm a pretty strong student with good ECs but I'm kinda quiet. I live in Boston and don't want to go to school within driving distance, and I'm interested in being a physician. My counselor recommended SUNY stonybrook, Colgate, Franklin & Marshall College, Juniata College, Ursinus College, and WPI... I don't know which one of those I should add... My mom also wants me to apply to as many top schools as I can because she really doesn't want me to go to a "bad" school</p>
<p>You sure have a lot of high reaches on that list. Yes, Union is a well respected school. Look at George Washington University- it is large and well known like BU, but is in Washington, DC. Admission is probably a little bit easier than at BU. Maybe you should look at some liberal arts colleges. Some of the well known ones are easier to get into than the well known universities, and many of them need more male students. U Chicago, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt, USC, and Northwestern are not easy to get into, but are easier than many schools on your list, and by substituting them, you may come out ahead. They are all well known.</p>
<p>I don't know what you consider driving distance, but I would certainly think Stanford wouldn't make the cut on that basis. Of the schools suggested by your counselor, I'd take a close look at Colgate.</p>
<p>Might want to look at Holy Cross-very good pre-med and school is expanding its science facilities. HC has very strong medical alumni including Nobel Prizw winner. Tufts and Duke are tops also.</p>
<p>Based strictly on the schools your guidance counselor is recommending, you seem to have many schools that would be big reaches. I have visited a few of the schools you mentioned with my son and I went to Stony Brook back in the day. I know someone at Colgate and she really likes it. I am told it is preppy and isolated, but beautiful. The academic reputation is excellent. F&M and Union are very similar to me. Both are excellent liberal arts schools located in less than desirable settings, although not awful. Union's campus is nicer (IMHO). Union is very strong in the NY and Boston markets and while also strong in Philly, probably not as strong as F&M down there. If you are looking at med school, I guess that does not matter. Ursinus is in a nice, quiet residential suburb of Philly. Not much there, but nice. The campus has some beautiful new buildings (arts center, fitness facility, dining hall and informal dining place) and some older, not so nice buildings (library, some of the dorms). It gives the feel of being VERY small. Stony Brook is much bigger, has many commuter students (although it is big enough that there will always be enough people around on weekends) and has, for the most part, forgettable architecture. Compared to F&M, Union, Colgate, Ursinus, it is much less personal and you will be in some pretty large lecture halls and have classes with lots of TAs. However, a bigger campus may suit you. No college town to speak of.</p>
<p>You say you are a pretty strong student but how would you quantify it. Based on the recommendations your guidance counselor has made it doesn't sound like the 6 Ivies, Stanford, Duke and Georgetown are all that realistic. Based on what you have said, why are the Boston area schools on your list. Take out the Massachusetts schools and the super selectives and you are left with Union and the University of Rochester. I agree that Colgate looks like another decent option.</p>
<p>Schools outside NY and New England that you may want to consider include Lafayette, Bucknell, Kenyon and Richmond.</p>
<p>Don't know why you are looking at Duke or even Georgetown if you want to be within driving distance. Georgetown is a good 8 hours away; Duke much farther. Likewise Richmond</p>
<p>If your GPA and test scores are good enough, look at Brandeis for a good pre-med program.</p>
<p>pointing that out. While I wouldn't care for the drive myself, Richmond is certainly within driving distance of Boston as long as they traffic isn't too bad. My D used the same criteria in her search -- a day's drive max -- but defined a day's drive as 10 hours.</p>