Absolutely agree…wherever you enroll, plan on spending your entire time in college there. If something happens to change those plans later on, so be it, but plan on being there for four years. As you yourself said:
This is a great attitude to have; I love it!
I can’t speak to Edinburgh, but right now you have a list with one likely acceptance (Rutgers) and 22 reaches, and only about 5 of those reaches offer merit aid. I’m not going to talk about the financial aspect, as I’ve already mentioned it upthread. I am, however, going to talk about the mental and emotional impact.
You’ve visited Rutgers and liked it, and it’s a likely admit for you. That is fabulous! Since you have a likely that you’d be happy with, you’re now thinking of having an extremely reach-heavy list. What happens if April 1 rolls around and you only have 1 acceptance and 20+ rejections/waitlists?
For some people, rejection is like a fuel that fires them up to be even more awesome and incredible where they land and prove all the naysayers wrong. For individuals like that, it’s okay to have a very reach-heavy list.
Most people, however, feel hurt when they get a rejection/waitlist. And if they get an acceptance in the fall and then rejection after rejection after rejection after rejection after rejection after rejection after rejection after rejection after rejection after rejection (and I only typed out 10 rejections), it can have a real impact on their emotional and mental health. Even if they get one acceptance, ten rejections, and then another acceptance, a string of rejections can still cause a serious toll on the person.
Additionally, even if they were happy with their sure thing, they can start to doubt the school and their acceptance. Is that school really any good if it was the only one that accepted them? This is just a downward spiral that is far more common than I prefer.
Generally, I find that most people do better with more acceptances than rejections. That doesn’t mean that’s what’s right for you, but I would strongly urge you to have some serious introspection on this issue and talk with your family about possible impacts if admissions decisions don’t go the way you want them to and then craft your application list accordingly.