Interesting - you go to a private school and that’s where your chancing should begin. They will have the resources to best know where your student fits.
Since you can spend 70k+, I’ll assume full pay
The question is why Michigan, Northwestern and Vassar.
That runs the gamut - certainly of size. I understand the in state part for cost but what does the student want in a school?
Bio is one of the most difficult majors outcome wise - ie underemployment and under paid. So you should factor in cost - especially if grad school is planned - whether law, medical or otherwise.
How rigorous is her schedule - that will matter. In other words, I see what you wrote but it sounds like the school offers many more APs and perhaps the student hasn’t taken the most rigorous schedule ? If not, that will hinder, especially at the reaches.
Michigan / Michigan State -
Targets or other safeties can range from other MW, NE, or NW publics - from a Penn State/Pitt, Ohio State/Miami, SUNY schools, UVM, Delaware, Oregon Schools, UMN, UMASS, Kentucky, Illinois, WVU, Purdue, IU etc. these would hit budget and bring merit. YES I SAY UK and WVU hit your defined geographies as would the acclaimed KU Honors program and it’s cheap relative to budget.
I guess targets in that group would be Wisconsin, Washington, Maryland. They may even be slight reaches but certainly get-able.
But I’d ask - if Michigan State plus Honors for an In state price, why look at any of those ?
Of course if you don’t want big or somewhat big then none of those should be applied to. Given the stats and budget, they’re not needed.
If Northwestern is the reach, Syracuse is a solid match but bio isn’t what it’s known for. But I’ve always thought, since being an SU alum, that it’s the Northwestern cousin. Perhaps slight reach but in line would be Rochester and Brandeis. These three require merit. Miami - southeast - is a likely with demonstrated interest and would be in budget with merit.
Lehigh, GW, American might be others. RPI but it’s STEM heavy. And merit is iffy.
For LACs you can hit cost and even many many thousands less whether a Beloit, Kalamazoo, Wooster in the MW or Clark or Gettysburg or Susquehanna type in the NE. Or out West Willamette or a Puget Sound or Lewis & Clark. The LACs and many more are safeties. A Macalester or Kenyon or Dennison or Bucknell or Lafayette or Dickinson type might be a target or the first two a low reach but can you get to budget?
I’d say forget having a list. Besides location and budget…what attributes do you want. Size, weather, urban/rural, access to an airport, sports, Greek life and other things?
For someone with your stats, there are schools from $20k on up and a ton up to $70k
What’s your true budget and are you willing to trade location for cost ?
Put another way - if U of Alabama or UAH were $20k or Arizona $25k but Wisconsin $56k, which would you choose? Or SUNY Bing potentially in the 30s or lower. Or WVU in the 20s.
If Vassar is $85k, are you choosing it over Kalamazoo at $40k and Beloit, Depauw, Allegheny and Wooster all are under $50k?
How about a U Denver - again not your geography or a Butler etc or sub under $50k vs a Northwestern at $91k and increasing.
And knowing a bio major is low paid, and that cost is not one year but for four years.
I think you have more to think about vs just names.
Your student has afforded you financial freedom if you desire based on their incredible academics.
So you can spend but don’t have to.
And given the major or other interests that the major gets changed to whether forestry, public health or otherwise, there’s a good chance outcomes will be similar regardless.
But don’t put schools out there yet. Think first about what the student wants. Then build a list from there.
Good luck.
And I don’t buy the any school size. Has she been to small schools to compare vs a UM ?? It’s important to be exposed to schools of different sizes and environments.
Potentially Biology