I wouldn’t necessarily assume that the OP can’t up their game in college. They wouldn’t be the first to do so. But the need to do so needs to be acknowledged and planned for; and over-reaching in terms of admissions competitiveness most likely isn’t the way to get there.
This is why I think a larger school with a wider range of student achievement could be the best bet. OP wouldn’t be trying to “come from behind” with a better-prepared cohort, but they also wouldn’t be lacking for cream-of-the-crop peers to emulate and compete with. Every flagship university has students who could have attended the most “elite” schools on OP’s list (but couldn’t afford to, didn’t want to, etc.) The cream rises to the top, and OP can aspire to be in that category. But attempting to leapfrog above the level of past achievement, based on supplemental writing “which explains my low grades because of family things” might not serve the OP well, whether because it won’t work, or because it might and could then result in a poor set-up for success.
Of the current list, Elon seems like the best fit to me. If a private-college experience is desired and financially attainable, this seems well-chosen. High Point could be worth a look too (maybe better than Campbell for the OP’s goals).
Providence College could be a good alternative to BC. Loyola New Orleans could be a fun place to study French, and they have a robust finance major. DePaul is worth a look too (and they have a 3+3 law program). St. John’s, which has its own campus in Paris. Santa Clara perhaps, especially for a full-pay ED app. Tons of options in terms of Catholic schools, but gunning for one of the 2-3 most competitive ones is probably not a winning strategy.
Miami of Ohio could be a good alternative to William & Mary.
Reed is a terrible fit - no clue why it’s on the list at all - but I agree that Puget Sound could be a great alternative, as it has strong business programs. Maybe Willamette too.
I agree with tsbna that U of Denver deserves a look. Not only does it overlap with American in terms of applicant pool, but it’s a better fit in terms of its greatest strengths (business and IR, rather than poli sci and federal government adjacency being so dominant).
Bottom line is that colleges are looking both for potential and for a track record. A student with a soft GPA, a soft SAT, and vanilla EC’s may indeed have the potential, but the track record isn’t going to beat the odds at highly-rejective schools, and it’s likely for the best that it doesn’t. They need someplace that’s attainable but will also provide challenge and room for growth. That could be any number of public universities, or it could be a smaller, supportive private - that’s a matter of preference and budget.