University selection in USA for Mechanical Engineering

This is the time when all students are looking for Schools. Students from different countries are always in a dilemma to choose the top engineering schools in the USA . Unfortunately, no one can give you the guarantee of admission for MS or Ph.D. in a particular school. All we can suggest the possibilities. My suggestion is to apply at least 9/10 schools. While choosing the schools, you can follow 3-4-2-1 formation. This means three top notches universities, four upper mediocre, 2 lower mediocre and 1 lower tired (but have high possibility). This format can be changed slightly based on GPA/GRE. Most importantly, please apply for top-notches universities as well, regardless of GPA/GRE. There is no cutoff for GRE and GPA in most of the schools. You will only find the average. And also, each applicant has unique skillsets (GPA, GRE, Research, Work Experience, etc.). Please remember that we need to compete with the students from all over the world. Despite research alignment with the faculties, personal recommendations are always effective. Please try to build the network with the alumni who have recently graduated from some universities. And seniors should recommend a potential student to his/her advisor.
Some universities for Mechanical Students (my suggestion) –

Here is the top universities suggestion for studying mechanical engineering in the USA:

UIUC, Penn State, NCSU, University of South Carolina, Oklahoma, Wayne State, UTA, Auburn, LSU, Purdue – Indianapolis.
I’ll be glad to help you if you need any suggestion.

Comment from Anupam Aich
I second with Wasimbhai. It is always good to apply to more schools to increase the chances. If you apply to top schools especially in engineering, you may get admitted; but if you don't, you will definitely NOT get admitted. I agree with the formation itself. Depending on the profile you can choose the last two for MS so that you can transition to a better school for your Ph.D. I would like to add one more important aspect here:
It is very important to understand the value of brand names. "Brand name" does not mean that the school will have to be an Ivy league school - rather a well-known school. It is possible that an over-all Top-ranked school (school 1) may have a low ranked dept than a mid-ranked school (school 2), so even if you graduate from a better dept at School 2, you may end up having less or no job offer compared to a student from school 1. These are very important issues to consider.

Scholarship in MS or PhD

Additionally, say you have got a funded Ph.D. admission from 50-70 ranked dept and you have an unfunded Ph.D./MS admission from top 20 dept (and obviously well-known University), please do not hesitate to at least think twice before choosing the first one. In many universities (especially in top-ranked universities), the funding comes frequently, and the Profs may hire in the second term. Also, there will be on-campus jobs available (I know its hard to find, but patient searches always bring about good results). Most importantly, there are states like Texas/New Mexico/California where tuition is pretty low in state Universities. So it is worth giving a shot.