I can’t comment on the two UK schools…but this list is just another list of…reaches…and you don’t need that many.
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These are all reaches. Where are the targets and safeties.
Initially I suggested looking at Bing, Pitt, Elon, Rhodes, and Denison. What do they have in common?
They all offer the PPE major. And there’s at least 2 safeties, 2 likelies, d a target on there.
That’s what you need.
You are so prestige hungry - you are missing THE MOST IMPORTANT schools on your list. You also acknowledged a budget situation - and you want to go to law school - so your list is so limiting for you. You better ensure your parents can pay for this - and law school ($700K).
Since you want PPE, here’s the schools that offer in the US - pulled from a 3rd party - so I’d verify.
You did mention Charleston (Poli Sci with the concentration in Politics, Philsophy, and Law). You can minor in Econ. Charleston would be great for you if you can land in the Charleston Fellows program (a big “if” but possible).
You also mentioned Rutgers and Widener.
Here is the US PPE - from Wikipedia - so 3rd party:
- Arizona State University (certificate)[69]
- Austin College[70]
- Belmont Abbey College[71]
- Binghamton University[72] (under the designation of “PPL” - replacing economics with law)
- Bowie State University[73]
- Bowling Green State University[74] (under the designation of “PPEL” - with law)
- Boyce College[75]
- Bridgewater State University (minor)[76]
- Calvin University[77]
- Carnegie Mellon University[78] (under the designation “Ethics, History, and Public Policy”, abbreviated “EHPP”)
- Carroll University[79]
- Claremont McKenna College[80]
- Cornell University[81] (offers academic year abroad at Oxford University to study PPE)
- Criswell College[82]
- Dallas Baptist University[83]
- Dartmouth College[84] (under the modified major of “Politics, Philosophy, and the Economy”)
- Denison University[85]
- Drexel University[86]
- Duke University[87] (certificate)
- Eastern Oregon University[88][89]
- Elon University (minor)[90]
- Emory & Henry College[91]
- George Mason University[92]
- Georgia State University[93]
- Indiana University of Pennsylvania[94]
- Juniata College[95]
- The King’s College[96]
- La Salle University[97]
- Liberty University (online)[98]
- Mercer University[99]
- Minnesota State University, Mankato[100]
- Mount St. Mary’s University[101]
- Murphy Institute[102] (Tulane University, under the designation “Political Economy”)
- Northeastern University[103]
- Northwest Nazarene University[104]
- Ohio Northern University[105]
- Ohio State University[106]
- Ottawa University[107]
- Palm Beach Atlantic University[108]
- Pomona College[109]
- Rhodes College[110]
- Rutgers University–New Brunswick (certificate)
- Seattle Pacific University[111]
- Siena Heights University (certificate)[112]
- Spring Hill College[113]
- St. John’s University (master’s degree)[114]
- State University of New York at Oswego[115]
- Suffolk University[116]
- Swarthmore College[117]
- Taylor University[118]
- Texas Tech University (as a concentration of an Honor Sciences and the Humanities degree)[119]
- Transylvania University[120]
- University of Akron[121]
- University of Alabama at Birmingham[122] (as a concentration of an Economics degree)[123]
- University of Arizona[124] (under the designation “PPEL” - with law)
- University at Buffalo[125]
- University of California, Berkeley[126] (minor, under the designation “PPL” - replacing economics with law)
- University of California, Irvine[127]
- The University of Idaho (minor)[128]
- University of Iowa[129] (under the designation “Ethics & Public Policy”)
- The University of Louisville (minor)[130]
- University of Maryland
- University of Michigan[131] (honors program)
- University of Minnesota Morris (as a concentration of a Philosophy degree)[132]
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (minor)[133]
- University of Notre Dame[134] (minor)
- University of Pennsylvania[135]
- University of Pittsburgh[136]
- University of Richmond[137] (under the designation “PPEL” - with law)[138]
- University of Rochester[139]
- University of San Diego (minor)[140]
- University of Sioux Falls (as “Philosophy, Economics, and Political Theory”)[141]
- University of Southern California[142]
- University of Virginia[143] (under the designation “PPL” - replacing economics with law)
- University of Washington Bothell[144] (under the designation “Law, Economics & Public Policy”, abbreviated “LEPP”)
- University of Washington Tacoma[145]
- University of Wisconsin[146] Political Economy, Politics and Philosophy (certificate program)
- Utah State University (certificate)[147]
- Villanova University (honors program and honors minor)[148]
- Virginia Tech[149] (offers both a major and a minor in PPE)
- Wabash College[150]
- Wesleyan University[151] (under the designation “College of Social Studies”)
- Western Washington University[152]
- Wheaton College (certificate)[153]
- Wheeling University[154] (under the designation “political and economic philosophy”)
- Xavier University (under the designation “Philosophy, Politics, and the Public”, abbreviated “PPP”)[155]
- Yale University (under the designation “ethics, politics and economics”, abbreviated “EP&E”)[156]
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Safeties - Juniata, Rutgers New Brunswick (not sure if it counts as a safety or target; as you know I’m an in-state student)
Targets - American University, Lehigh, Penn State, University of Pittsburgh
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Sorry, forgot to include Widener here but it’s on there too!
OK - for AU please make sure you demonstrate a lot of interest. A lot. Lehigh too tracks interest. So visit. Get on line a session or two and open all their emails, click on videos. Even if you walk away. Lehigh is a low reach - not a safety/target.
I don’t get Widener (I’d understand for Law if your GPA/LSAT weren’t great). I liked when you said Charleston previously and hopefully you’d get invited for Fellows Weekend to have a chance at the wonderful program.
So very important here - as you go through your apps - you’ll see there is no way you’ll be able to do all of the schools you note. There’s just too many - too many essays - you’ll get burned out.
Do not cut your targets/safeties - cut from the top!!!
And Pitt - you can do early, very early - and get one on the board. If it works for you (you love it), then the rest of your list doesn’t matter - because you have a school you’d love to attend in the bag (assuming it’s affordable - it’s also not inexpensive).
That you do have a bottom end is great.
Good luck.
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I am looking at Charleston more, and definitely applying as early as I can to Pitt and Penn State with their rolling admissions. I’ll be trimming down that reach list for sure; this was my preliminary list. Thank you!
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So I agree if you are interested in PPE type programs that can help provide some focus. But if are also interested in Yaleish type universities, that could also provide some focus. Since you mentioned Barnard and were looking at Dartmouth, you might also be interested in other Liberal Arts Colleges.
OK, so among the Ivies, along with Yale, Brown and Penn are particularly known for this sort of program (note it is not a major per se at Brown but you can put together a relevant curriculum):
Georgetown, either in SFS or outside, is also a good choice:
You are looking at some bigger privates so USC is one you might consider:
https://catalogue.usc.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=16&poid=21813&returnto=6360
You mentioned Pitt, and I just wanted to emphasize it is a very good choice but the relevant major is an Honors major:
Speaking of Pittsburgh, CMU does have a PPE program, but CMU in general is not what I would consider a very Yale-like university. So I would try to visit before applying if at all possible.
I believe PPE is a Minor at Rutgers, but that is still a very solid more likely option if you are in-state:
A final more likely university you might want to consider would be Drexel (assuming it is affordable, which is a whole other issue):
OK, then among smaller colleges, Claremont McKenna is great, and in fact is tutorial style like Oxford, but again it is an honors major:
Another small college option I think you could strongly consider would be Rhodes:
Richmond does a version with a Law focus you might find interesting:
Speaking of Oxford, that is certainly an option if you are OK with the UK style of education. The PPE course at Edinburgh is pretty new as far as I know, but that could be a great experience. And then personally, I would also take a look at Warwick and Durham:
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William and Mary is a great school for this student’s interests, but despite the overall acceptance rate, it’s an especially tough admit for OOS women (more so than men, because the school tries to achieve some gender balance). Public schools in VA are required to offer something like 60% of acceptances to in-state students, so it’s tougher to get in than it looks on paper. (For reference, my D23, with slightly stronger stats, interests that fit well with W&M’s strengths, great ECs, and acceptances at more selective colleges, got wait-listed).
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If you include all 8 Ivy League schools, then this is a list of 20 reaches. Some (BC, BU) might be plausible reaches, some might be very high reaches with a 3.7 GPA. Regardless, 20 reaches are too many. You will not be able to write all of those essays (perhaps 60 essays?) and sound like you have thought about what to say for each of the essays. If you are not able to articulate “why is this school a good fit for me” and if you have not spent time thinking about each essay that you write, then I think that this will come across in your applications.
Think about which of these schools are a good fit for you, and why. I would suggest that you pick about 5 reaches to apply to, and drop the rest.
This would suggest that you do not want to take on debt for your bachelor’s degree, and you would be better off if you can save some significant $$$$ for law school.
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Dickinson would be better than Juniata and you have a decent shot if you express consistent interest (join the mailing list and open messages/click on links of interest: this is tracked.) Same thing at American.
Goucher and Drew better for your goals than Widener though in the same category (safety).
SUNY Albany Honors would also be highly likely and in the State Capital.
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You’ve been getting some great suggestions of additional schools to consider and feedback on the options you’re already thinking about. Normally I would jump on that train as quickly as possible, but this statement makes me very concerned:
There have been numerous threads where families have indicated a desire to do anything they can to help pay for a “top” school (whatever that family considers as a “top” option). And then, either before decision deadlines or even after decision deadlines, when the families fully realize what the payments are going to be and how much they are earning and/or have in the bank…they cannot afford it. There is a willingness to pay, but an inability to pay.
Your family needs to figure out how much it is ABLE to pay. I would also strongly urge them to consider their own retirement needs in the calculations to figure out how much they are able to pay, as one can get some loans for college and an extremely strong student like yourself will have colleges that are willing to give you significant merit aid. Nobody, however, is handing out loans for retirement.
Once your family figures out how much it is able to pay, then they need to run the Net Price Calculators (NPCs). Start with Yale’s, as it is one of the most financially generous colleges in the U.S. If the NPC spits out at a price that your family is able to pay, great! Keep it on your application. If not, eliminate it. Do the same for all other schools on your list, unless the school also offers merit aid (most of the schools on your list do not).
If you then want advice/suggestions of other schools, let us know the budget and whether the school’s NPCs are coming back as affordable (as it lets posters know what kind of schools would be doable suggestions).
Law school is very expensive and there is not much scholarship money available for it. Once your family figures out its budget (i.e. how much it is willing and able to pay/year), talk to them about whether or not they would be willing to use the difference in what they would have paid toward law school, if you do not use the full college budget.
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On Georgetown, my concern would be the GPA. They seem to strongly favor grades and scores. Otherwise, how important is PPE vs just double major? Looking to go to law school?
Yes! For undergrad, however, I’m thinking of majoring in some combination of Political Economy, Government, Economics, and Creative Writing at Georgetown specifically. Of course I can’t do all of these so I’d choose one of the first three and pair it with Creative Writing. Would you say I have a chance for Georgetown?
You have a chance for everywhere but doesn’t mean you’d get in. You are borderline at most trending down. Gtown’s app is a bear - and you already have too many other apps. So something to consider too.
Again another no merit school - can you afford ?
If your family makes it work who’s paying for law? If you choose the right school, UG and Law can be included in the cost of Gtown, etc.
If creative writing an interest, since you are over applying, consider Emory. And they have merit aid. For safety, add Sewanee. Both strong in creative writing.
Interesting when we visited W&L, we were told that per capita they are #2 at placement in DC. #1 - Sewanee. The head of the DC program told us that.
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If you were to choose an interdisciplinary major such as public policy as your 'first major," there’d be no conflict between this and a second major in creative writing. The availability of such a plan would depend on the college you choose, however.
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While some of the deadlines have passed, you can consider looking into Fly-In programs for the institutions on your list. May help you decide whether to keep certain schools on your list.
I did two last year one for W&L and Lehigh (Which I see on your list.)
Diversity and Inclusion Visit Experience (wlu.edu)
Diverse Achievers Program | Lehigh University
In addition, concerning W&L… @DramaMama2021 Do you have anything to add on to what has already been said?
The OP has received great advice in this thread from parents, but I think it’s especially helpful when recent hs grads like you provide insight. 
Good point bringing up the diversity initiatives (fly-ins) at many schools. That is certainly relevant if it’s a priority for OP and it’s a great way to get an early preview of a campus.
My D attends W&L so I’m happy to answer questions if the OP has any. W&L offers excellent resources in the major area of interest and allows undergrads to take some classes at the law school so it’s worth a look as a low reach. The OP may also be interested in the full ride Johnson scholarship since merit would allow the savings to apply toward law school.
Best of luck, @blooberry88!
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TCNJ would be very close to a safety for you and would be close to government in Trenton. I’d choose Rowan over Widener for you as a safety. Both are much more likely to fall within budget even without merit.
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thank you!! 
The main challenge I see for Georgetown is the unweighted GPA, almost more than for a Yale, which may be drawn to your awards/achievements and needs to worry less about avg GPA because they admit SO many 4.0s. If you love Yale so much, why not Brown? Since you are considering Wellesley and Barnard, would you consider a Swarthmore, Wesleyan, Amherst or Vassar? Those LACs do very well feeding into top law schools. My D22 looked very closely at Wesleyan’s College of Social Science and College of Letters programs; seemed very appealing but she did not like Middletown (or Poughkeepsie where Vassar is). I hate to pry but are you looking for a particular environment in terms of size, location, social vibe and political climate (since you are a creative and politically involved person)? Dartmouth threw me off… someone suggested Sewanee and W&L which are very nichey and definitely not for everyone no matter how good academically at what you want to do… I think you need a decision making framework.
My sense is you might be too prestige-focused and really need to focus on “fit”; it’s not only a thing, it’s everything from what I am seeing in my kids’ experiences. Have you visited any schools? What was your gut reaction on your visit?
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