I can speak for my child- an out of state student from the northeast who attended a large public HS.
My D graduated at the very top from HS but chose not to apply to an Ivy because she did not love most of them and was scared of the pressure. She did apply to 3 private schools just below this level and got into 2- waitlisted to 1. She got into UVA and UNC. She loved UNC and it cost less.
The academics are top notch and my daughter works hard… but she also has time to be very, very involved in her clubs, attend concerts on campus, etc. She is close with her professors, has (is) been involved in research, has been invited to two special events so far to speak and present, and has a great internship this summer. We wanted strong academics with balance ( high strung kid) and we got it. There are UNC alums in NY as my D has spoken to them and gone to events sponsored in restaurants where they go ( and where food is named after UNC which is very cool). We went to a local event in Manhattan where recent grads spoke and they were all employed. I don’t have more specific info.
If you live in Cal you are in a predicament because UCLA is also outstanding and is likely cheaper for you. Please PM me if you have any questions.