@some-random-user, getting clarification from your parents is really important and honing your list are two pieces of very good work!
Your new list of reaches makes sense- I can see a thread through why you might be interested in all of them, you are a credible candidate for all of them, and it is not an impossible number of essays to write (& write well). Don’t be afraid to go back to the list and keep refining it as you do the research for the ‘why us’ essays. As you hone in on your actual favorites (not just the name, but ones that you feel you ‘click’ with best, shuffle the order in which you write the essays- you want your favorites to be in the 3-5 range of the essays you write (you do get better as you go, but you also burn out after a time!).