Picking Schools Advice
When looking at Universities, only apply to schools that you will actually be excited to attend. And by excited I mean, it has a major you are interested in, you like the campus location, you enjoy their sports team, or are excited about the gym.
If there is absolutely nothing that you are excited about, do not apply.
Ranking is not a reason to be excited about. Ranking is a number that will not make you enjoy your time as an undergraduate.
Apply to a diverse set of schools. Limit the number of public out of state schools too. Students typically get very little financial aid as out-of-state, and they are much harder to get into than in-state.
Pick 1-3 schools that you are excited about and are nearly certain to get into. Your flagship in-state school is not certain.
Apply to a handful of religious private schools, these may give you the highest financial aid offer, especially if these schools have a high acceptance rate.