cellist

I can't emphasize enough how important fit is. I was rejected from all of the Ivy League programs I applied to, but was admitted to, and obtained a special fellowship from, an only slightly less prestigious PhD program. In retrospect, my POI at this program was a much much better fit than those at most of the other programs I applied to. If you find yourself in your SOP shoehorning (even just a little bit!) your research interests to match those of the program's professors, you'd be better off saving your money and taking that program off your list.