You might want to look at this thread - there is some really great info from @AustenNut , especially at the bottom - this is where it counts. Ultimately, the major will drive success IMHO vs. a school. But the student might be surprised to find some schools at a higher level than others in certain areas - if you had toward the bottom of the thread. This is just for a few states (including PA, so close to home) but if this data was extrapolated to other states of interest….
Schools like James Madison scored very well - it’s in a decent town. Bucknell (always does well), Allegheny and Susquehanna did too but might be too isolated. Lafayette might be a strong name to consider. But in post 145 from @AustenNut schools like Randolph Macon outperform schools like Richmond and then more top schools for career preparation. I don’t know the meaning of the data but something is behind it - just like the WSJ says Babson is #2 in the country behind Stanford and ahead of Yale. And Bentley is somewhere up that list too - business focused but has other majors too. There’s more than one way to skin the “impress my friends” cat - so I hope she realizes to find a good fit - and impress herself - which is most important!!!
I guess I see things differently but both mine voluntarily turned down reaches for safeties. They just felt much better to them in regards to fit. We saw 20 schools + after the one my daughter attended and she (voluntarily) did so many apps - and yet i knew the minute we visited this one school, she was going there.
In the end, fit matters. It’s a bummer she didn’t get into Emory proper as the experience might be different.
But it’s also a bummer that kids get cut (orchestra) - many schools don’t mention that in their advertising. I would think, for her, going somewhere where she can play or do the things she wants would be more important than - I went to Emory but couldn’t play vs. I went to U of Delaware and loved playing in the orchestra and it was so much fun.