In all likelihood, OP is indeed one of the best students in Tunisia. I hope that with his records, he makes it into one of the top universities he listed. The issue is that as an international student, he doesn’t have the luxury to consider Fordham a safety. It’s merely a match, for financial reasons. It wouldn’t be “terrible” to attend Fordham, or OP wouldn’t have included it on the list (and Denver is far below Fordham). While I agree Fordham may not be “the best” for OP, oftentimes international students don’t have the luxury of choosing “the best” and have to pick the least bad choice. There are many worse choices than Fordham - especially since it’s got upper level classes that OP could join once he’s completed his classes. In the end, it comes down to choosing between a local choice and a less than optimal American choice, and the American choice may still be better than local choices for a variety of reasons, and in almost all cases will come with more opportunities and resources. If the American choice isn’t seen as preferable, then the local choice is an easy solution. OP is likely to get his pick among Tunisian universities and programs so if it comes down to, say, Fordham vs. INSAT, OP will have to choose based on his own criteria. Hopefully though OP will get into other schools. 