liek0806

I would recommend you research research and research your schools. Don't just go by the rankings, or strength of program. Although important, it's much more important that the college offers an environment you can see yourself at. If you can't see yourself happy at your safety then you probably haven't found a good safety. Be aware that if you're depending on financial aid, and your parents look wealthy on paper ie more thank 125K a year, then your best bet is to apply to schools that also offer merit aid, just not need based aid. Don't stick yourself to research universities, explore LAC's you might find a better overall fit with some LACs.

One thing to also consider is that although you may think you know for a fact what you would want to major in, don't just pick a school because its strongest in that, make sure that the school is strong overall in most majors.

In general your list shouldn't go over 12, unless you're in a state like California and can just apply to all the UC's with one click. But please research. Don't just throw in Harvard, Dartmouth, Brown, Stanford in your list just because they're Ivies and Top Schools. They're all completely different and will have different feels to them.