@Publisher That make sense
My son’s at Michigan. What you just described in what you want in a college is Michigan. If your into Hillel it’s one of the largest and most active also. Once accepted our experience is they will bend over backwards to make things happen. They keep talking about a sense of being part of a larger family. Lots of school pride. Alumni is a real thing here and one of the largest also. Even as a freshman Alumni stepped up and helped my son in his endeavors. But… 10,000 on the wait list last year with some with similar scores. They like to know you want to go there. Good idea to reach out to the regional school rep from Michigan. Since your scores are high they might assume you want to go elsewhere. Majority of people get deferred also. It seems this is more the norm. Apply early.
In terms of grouping, I would really think through whether you would like a LAC in a remote location. That’s a first way to sort. The day to day experience of living there will be different than at a larger school not far from a city. That’s your community - full stop! But if you learn better in smaller classes where you can participate, that might be a better learning environment for you.
I would also consider the overall vibe of the school. Vanderbilt has a very different vibe than Brown, for example. Greek life, etc. They are all great schools but not likely to be equally good for all students.