Well - want this:
- Research opportunity for undergrads → bigger schools or smaller schools w/ connections to big schools (ex. Wellesley and MIT)
- In/close to a city OR a cute college town w/ things to do on campus
- Collaborative nature - students are not pitted against each other for grades
- Good amount of diversity
- School spirit - sports games to go to
So you can research diversity for each school on their common data set. Just google the school + common data set and go to section and go to section B2. Dartmouth has 539 caucasian of 1206 first years - so that’s diverse. At the same time, being caucasian, if you are, might make it harder.
You want to be in a city or cute college town. Most these qualify - well not all UCs. All UCs are different - so why say all?
Collaborative will be major dependent - bio - you’re probably ok at most. But others will know more. Some say CMU is competitive but others say not true.
Research is everywhere including UNH. Watch for department emails and approach professors. If you hustle, you get.
Spirit - some of these are big time sports - UNC, Duke, Michigan, USC, etc.
Your reaches are way too many - all these apps, you’ll have a hard time finishing - and applying to more doesn’t increase your odds. And you’re going to PhD - and any school will be fine.
So you need to decide which are right - but if I wanted to be in /near a city, I’d remove Dartmouth and Cornell.
Basically you created a who’s who of top schools. Have you visited any? You clearly have Rank-Itis.
You could get into a couple of these - but it’s very possible you get into zero.
Focus on the school you are likely to attend up - that safety that is affordable and you’d love to be at. Make sure you love that list…as it’s likely a school you will attend.
And are your parents able and willing to spend $400K over 4 year (if you are a full pay family) if they could $80K or $150K or $200K, etc. They may be - but have you had that chat?
Good luck.