The Scottish universities are more flexible than the English ones (but are 4 years, not the usual 3).
Your predictions are strong enough for you to consider some of the reach schools that would be affordable and worth the difference- but you need to do some hard thinking about which and why.
Start with what you want from your uni degree: what kind of path do you see for yourself after uni, and what sort of uni will help you best to get started on it?
Try looking at a sample of unis known for good aid to international students. As examples Colgate, Haverford, Skidmore, Washington & Lee, Wesleyan and Wellesley (if you are female) on the LAC end, and Columbia, Cornell & Duke on the large uni end. They are all very strong academically, and range from medium to extreme selectivity- and they are also very, very different unis, in terms of size, campus culture, location, vibe, etc. For example, based on your post, I would guess that for you, Duke > Columbia- but maybe you may see the Columbia ‘Core’ as exactly what you want from uni- who knows? So, take some time to figure it out. The better the fit between you and the uni(s) you apply to the better the (still terrible!) odds of a positive outcome.
Finally, remember that US colleges/universities are campus-centric in a very different way than most UK unis. Most people live on/adjacent to campus, and even unis that appear to be in the back of beyond typically have a lot happening both on and off campus.