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Also, whenever you do apply, apply to ALL of the top schools, unless there are one or two you know you wouldn't attend (for me this would have been Chicago, I don't really appreciate the ultra competitive environment). It is somewhat of a crapshoot where you get into. I got into a school which is supposedly in the top 5 in the current rankings with full funding, but was not offered funding at a school ranked around 10, and rejected from a school not ranked in the top 15. So, IMO, your best bet is apply to the entire top 10 and maybe 5-10 other schools that you like. This is costly in terms of money since most apps cost around $50 or more, but if you're going to be spending 4 or 5 years someplace it makes sense to invest upfront in finding a good match.

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I don't think this can be overstated. I applied to seven non-safety schools and got into two. If i had applied to fewer schools, I might not have gotten into any of schools I really wanted to go to (this happened to several people I know).