[phD in ECE] Help selecting schools

[dukkessi]

Hi,

 

I'm an MEng student in a respected school and will be applying to phD programs this winter.

 

I've come up with a list of schools where I have some faculty members with research interests similar to mine, but I'd also like to figure out what my "safety schools" are.

 

I've read that programs ranked below 25 are actually not safety schools since most of them have small programs and don't have enough funding. I am looking for programs that are less competitive and can support my study.

 

I've chosen mostly private schools because they seem to have better funding than state schools.

 

Here is my list:

 

Stanford

Cornell

Georgia Tech

Columbia

Princeton

Rice

USC

WashU

NYU Poly

Clemson

University of Notre Dame

 

All of these schools have been carefully chosen after reviewing each faculty's website.

 

But I am afraid my chances at admission are low or may not get funding.

 

Any suggestion on choosing safety schools?

 

My stats are solid, but is nothing outstanding and would like to increase my chances of getting into a phD program..

[NanoTech]

Yale, Brown, Northwestern, Washington, Boston U.

Edited October 10, 2013 by NanoTech