Safety Options?

[MN-psych]

Hello everyone!

I am a University of Minnesota -Twin Cities graduate and I am trying to decide which graduate schools to narrow down and apply to this year. I'm hoping to start Fall 2016 at a human development and public/social policy program. I've noticed that most of the dual programs are very highly ranked (Georgetown, Northwestern, Harvard, Princeton), and while I plan on applying to those schools, I was hoping to find a school or two I could apply to a little more confidently. (I know graduate programs are competitive everywhere, I'm just talking about relative competitiveness with the programs I mentioned.)

About me: I'm a psychology B.S. and have a 3.9 GPA and 2 years of research in an educational psychology setting. I have 2 faculty members and a volunteer coordinator in higher ed that will write me LORs. I'm really passionate about taking my knowledge and interest in mental health and development to an interdisciplinary public policy program. 

If anyone has any knowledge about the chances or rates of acceptance for these schools or knows of a "safety" school, I'd love to hear from you!

Any other tips are welcome as well

Edited June 17, 2016 by MN-psych