@college.dad.2B… It is. So factors to consider when trying to figure out where to apply and once you figure that out, then how it will it all play out after the fact (acceptances, merit, location) etc. All I know is that it has been a wonderful ride even with all the stress involved…I remember visiting Miami, OSU, and four others last year. I remember exactly what I was thinking as I was doing these tours. All the positives and negatives about each setting… Playing out all the what if scenarios. Will I get in? What about the rankings, scholarships, interest, etc… Then the surprises changes everything… The fist school where I was accepted to offered a full out of state tuition waiver and it was the big WOW. I knew right there and there what my parents were going to say. Will any of the other schools come even close to this? Then two other schools offered acceptances but no scholarship but I was hopeful that they would but it could take months (to this day they have not offered any merit) So I knew right away that maybe my first acceptance out of all my applications was going to be it. Then OSU offered a full tuition scholarship early in the game and I knew nobody else was going to be able to compete or even come close. By the time Miami rolled the red carpet with a $20K scholarship, I knew they probably did not have a chance. I learned so much through this process. Never assume anything. Fall in love from afar and know that the reason you come up with a list of schools to apply to is because ANY of them can be good options.