No, being a TX resident for Rice actually makes things harder. They want geographic diversity. Although you are an attractive candidate, they have lots of other students from TX they could choose.
The Questbridge rank order system is one of the best things in college admissions. It stacks the odds in YOUR favor since you get to choose which schools to put on your list. All other things like binding ED1, SCEA, EA, ED2, spring admissions, Z list and waitlist all serve to tilt the advantage to the college admissions offices.
I think you have a good chance at pretty much any school you apply to- of course these are reaches for anyone but your stats and background are impressive, IMO. I am not able to offer you financial advice though.
On the other hand, donāt just chase prestige. Some of the schools you mentioned are very very different than others on your list. Like Columbia/Chicago (very urban) vs Dartmouth.
Also, you have schools at the very top, and then safeties. But really no in-between matches. Maybe places like Lafayette, Franklin and Marshall, Case Western, Univ of Rochester would offer you sufficient financial aid while still providing the academic rigor you want.
Keep in mind that if you match through Questbridge, you will get the full-ride financial aid package. Being considered international may lower your chances at a given school, but thatās no reason to rank fewer than twelve schools if there are twelve that you like. Your chances are zero if you donāt apply, and non-zero if you do! So, go ahead and add WUSTL as #12, IMOā¦ unless thereās another on the QB list that you like better. You havenāt mentioned Duke, which is also great for all of your majors of interest and has recently improved its DACA/undocumented policies Admission Change Could Lead to More Undocumented Student Applicants | Duke Today. BU is another possibility. And thatās just filtering for schools that have civil engineering and urban planning, which some of your super-elite choices do not.
The UChicago admissions dean has made a recent push towards getting more students from TX to attend Chicago. With your credentials you have a great shot, and they offer great aid for undocumented students. Good luck whereever you end up!
@Renedel , I thought about you when I read of the latest legal decision re: DACA. Iām sorry for this setback, and hope one of your Questbridge schools will appreciate your hard work and impressive accomplishments, and commit to supporting you no matter what happens with DACA. But itās very sad and infuriating that a young person has to be as exceptionally-qualified as you are to have any chance of overcoming these obstacles. This must be pulling the rug out from under so many people who have been doing all the right things.