You don’t need to win awards. Overrated. You need to accomplish things that can be quantified. I was the club vp and recruited 20 members. I walked dogs at the shelter and helped in four adoptions.
Most don’t have meaningful awards. I hope you didn’t quit a sport for that. Tenure/commitment matter.
My daughter also hated GW. Same reason. Loved AU. AU is a safety but you need to demonstrate interest.
You don’t need 100 safeties. A few you like. You can tour IU. It’s drivable from most of TN - within 5 hours. If you loved SMU - then you don’t need a million more - maybe U of Denver, AU. Knowing you love SMU takes a lot of pressure off. I’d check UGA Terry if you have time, Bana, UTK, others if interested - Richmond, W&M but once you have the safety you love and can afford you are golden. SMU places well. As does IU and others.