To me this sounds like a good topic to write about, and a good way to live your life.
Also, the best LACs provide excellent educations. You can do very well with an education from a smaller school. One daughter attended a small school for her bachelor’s degree and I have become a big fan. As one example, you may be more likely to get to know your professors, which can in some cases help a student to get good internship or research opportunities. Being kind to peers can also help in the same ways!
And the highly ranked schools that you listed in your original post are all very, very difficult to get accepted to, have unpredictable admissions, and turn away a large number of excellent students.