I’m going to push back on something you said about safeties.
Kids choose safeties every day. My kid chose a low level engineering school over Purdue. My daughter got into 17 and choose #16 rank wise.
My son, btw, works with Purdue and Michigan grads and my daughter will be in a post college program that’s loaded with Ivy kids, from a small regional.
My point - Ithaca, Hofstra, Quinnipiac, Muhlenberg and Temple being safeties does not mean they should not be considered - especially if they are direct admit.
I mean, would you rather go to Ithaca, or Quinnipiac and study what you want - or have the “stress” of going to SU, studying something you don’t want, and hoping to transfer in the next year. I’m an SU alum - but that’s crazy - and oh by the way, Ithaca would be fantastic (although it seems like you have to audition for the minor - and you might check that at each.
So if you have a budget, I’d eliminate AU and I’d eliminate SU.
And if cost matters, how are they in comparison?
and btw - Michigan State is no more prestigious than any school on the list, short of supply chain.
It seems like you like Drexel - so that’s fine - but again, not better than your “safeties” - but give you like the city and feel, you can go for it. Muhlenberg is small, Hofstra is suitcase…Temple is allegedly dangerous.
So you might go Drexel or try Broad, direct admit or not.
None of these schools are going to give you a standout outcome over the other - sorry - there’s no “better” amongst this list. They’re all solid.
Good luck.