@intparent
Sorry about that, I think I followed an old link to Northeastern’s common data set that didn’t work! I found the most recent one, though.
What do you mean by scattershot approach? I have a core list that I am definitely applying to and a list of schools to possibly supplement the core list.
I am, admittedly, panicked, because the schools that I thought were high matches, such as CMU, Rice, and UC Berkeley, are actually reaches according to some people here. In addition, I was rejected, not deferred, from Columbia, which makes me think that I was reaching way too high and need to adjust my list.