If you want to be closer to family - well Chicago and Raleigh are not close to one another.
If you are, say, in the West Coast and going to NY for home or Illinois for home, you are still taking a plane.
Are you sure it’s homesickness or is it, I really thought I’d get into one of those and I didn’t sickness.
Because being 500 miles from home and 2000 miles from home is, likely, the same thing.
I wish you luck in your transfer but if you want to be home to access it more, than I’d focus on schools near home.
One last thing I’ll add - a lot of schools over wait list - so they make you think you are close to an admission when in reality you weren’t.
Duke, as an example, in the 23/24 cycle (not showing 24/25), wait listed over 2200. That’s more than they enrolled. Schools like Case Western, Emory, Miami, etc. WL up to 30% of all applicants - far more than they enrolled.
Many kids think - oh, i was close. Sure, some get off the WL - at top schools, a smaller amount. But they load them up as protection for themselves in case they fall short of enrollment goals - not you. But it gives some kids a sense of - I was close - when in most cases, they likely weren’t.
To me, if you want to be in Chicago, then take your shot - but why not add UIUC, UIC, Purdue, Kalamazoo, Beloit - whatever fits.
If wanting UNC or Duke, why not W&M, Elon, Wake, Va Tech, NC State or whatever else might fit?
Good luck to you.