My friend’s kid (with a much higher GPA and 1500+ SAT) said exactly this, and as much as I tried to warn him to add safeties to his list, he ended up not getting in anywhere he felt was prestigious. His safeties were not safeties and he wouldn’t look beyond the name of the school. He ended up sending in a few applications to high acceptance schools at the last minute and ended up somewhere he had never even visited. I’m not sure how that is turning out for him, but you do not want to end up like this.
And likely every flagship in America has Ivy level students, including those who turn down Ivy.
College of Charleston is one of many great names that might work for a student like you. I mention bcuz my daughter’s bff there got into Penn, Vandy and Rice.
He’s not the only - no doubt - for my kid it was 16th of 17 rank wise - but I knew the minute we visited, she found home.
And has earned a great outcome for May after graduation.
OP - you want to find a place that’s home. Not what US News ranks high given their arguably dumb criteria.
I would consider you look at the Jesuit schools. Fordham. Loyola Chicago. St. Louis University.
Perhaps being in a big well known city will suffice for “prestige.”
If you can afford them, they might be a good option. With Fordham, you’d be in NYC and the world would be your oyster. You could also add University of San Francisco to that list - another Jesuit school with a pretty high acceptance rate, great academics, supportive environment, and a location that can’t be beat.
Another school to check out might be Reed. It is very well respected for its academics, absolutely on par in reputation with a number of the so-called T20 LACs. (Everybody knows that USNWR intentionally penalizes Reed because its leadership has been so vocal in criticizing rankings and has refused to cooperate.) It has a very rigorous anthro/sociology department, and the school has a strong social-justice bent that may appeal to you.
That said, Reed is not for everyone; it is very much a “fit school.” And your grades, and especially your test scores, are well below their typical stats. You would need to finish out your junior year very strong and apply test-optional if you can’t significantly raise your score. So it represents a real reach with your current stats. But I don’t think it’s an impossible reach given that you have some factors that may appeal to Reed such as rigor, geographic diversity, and full pay.
Maybe learn more about the school, see if you like the vibe, and run it past your school college counselor? Again, a big reach, but maybe not an impossible one.
Start looking into schools like James Madison, Brandeis, and George Washington. All have programs geared toward social justice. Even with lower GPA and test scores, you would stand a chance with your ECs if you can bring forth your passion in your essays.
Other schools to look at with social justice programs are
UConn, Marist, Stony Brook (target)
Eastern Kentucky, Merrimack and Hamline (safeties)
My kiddo had a perfect ACT, excellent EC’s and letters of rec. Graduated from a tippy top boarding school. Got into 2 of the 6 T20’s she applied to but not into her dream school, went to one for a semester and absolutely hated it and was miserable. She took a semester off, and transferred to St. Olaf College where she is thriving and loves it so much. T20 does not mean happiness, or even name recognition. We are in the Northeast and literally no one in our large city that we told had ever heard of it and it’s only 5 hrs away.
You need to rethink your list. I am sorry but your gpa and test scores are not high enough.