<p>OP, despite the fact you may like individual parts of a school, it’s obvious that you are just brand hunting. If finances matter, why aren’t you looking at schools like Alabama where you would go for no cost at all or ASU? Because of the brand. So don’t pretend it’s not all about prestige. When searching for colleges, one must consider the OVERALL experience. Columbia and Dartmouth are VERY different schools. Harvard and Yale are light years away from each other. Aside from students who have no care for anything but prestige, it’s hard to imagine a student who would be equally happy at 2 of the Ivies, let along all 8. The Ivy League is just an athletic conference. That’s all. Try to see past that and you would be amazed at the dozens of amazing schools that would be more than happy to have you for no cost at all.</p>