slacker79

I thought it would be strange but I saw someone refer to Acemoglu as "professor" and say his work changed their lives.

Is "Acemoglu" really Daron Acemoglu? Or just a comparative/PE grad student who likes his work?

polisci09, I think you are undershooting. You should apply to at least one top 6 school (Harvard/Yale/Princeton/Stanford/Berkeley/Michigan). Your stats are very good. Some committees might want name brand undergrad, but some just want people who succeed wherever they are, and it's hard to do better than you have.