futurechicagoSLP

I am a senior currently applying to Masters programs for Speech-Language Pathology. I am having a hard time narrowing down my list of graduate schools. I am from Illinois, and would like to stay local. However, I have heard a lot that the midwest is a very competitive area for Masters programs. Because of this, I am applying to mostly midwest schools but also some random other locations. I think I am a competitive applicant with lots of relevant work/research/volunteering experiences, 157V, 161Q, 4.5W for the GRE, great letters of rec, good resume/personal statement. I think the worst thing I'm offering is my GPA of 3.5 since it's pretty average (I am hoping everything else will help balance me into being a good candidate). How do I narrow down from 11-12 schools to 7 or 8? I do not want to spend all the time and money to apply to so many programs.