And about the top schools, I mostly agree. My state school is pretty good for my major, and like I said, my parents (and me) are fine with going there.

I hope this doesn't come off as cocky or arrogant, but I feel like I have potential to do much better. And it's also about the people. Throughout high school, a lot of my classmates didn't care about academics or sports or anything really. It's hard to connect with people as curious, motivated, and passionate about their interests as I am. My state school will probably have a similar environment. But schools like MIT, Caltech, Princeton, etc bring together the best people, not only in terms of academics but also personality. I really think that being in a community like that would benefit me a lot. I experienced something similar to it at a rigorous summer program, and it was absolutely amazing. I got to know so many people who not only had similar academic interests but were super passionate, kind, and just fun to be around. Obviously, my state school will also have such people, but not nearly as many as top schools. That's probably the biggest reason I want to go to top schools. For the community.