Often something on the wish list has to go when finances are concerned - size, location, a specific major. Although she thinks she’d like an LAC, I’d recommend she look at where that NMF prize will get her a free or almost free education. Some of those schools have really nice music or performance programs and strong STEM programs for her other interests. An honors program or LLC might make a big school much smaller. Not every school is full of 300 student lectures and there are plenty of seminars or small group discussion classes.
My daughter really wanted a smaller school but finances didn’t allow for that (at least in places she was interested in) so she went with a flagship (although a smaller one). She is SO glad she did as she changed majors a few times and had lots of choices. My other daughter went to a mid-sized school (3500) and often wished she was at a bigger school as her choices were limited as far as professors, activities, new friends. Especially by senior year, she was ready for a bigger world. She had the same professor for 2 classes, her senior project, and she worked for him her last semester. Yep, ready to move on.
Kentucky, Oklahoma, any of the Florida schools through Benacquisto scholars. A friend of my daughter’s went to UCF and I was so surprised as I thought she’d go to an LAC or a school like Emery. Money was not an issue. She absolutely thrived at UCF and had got the lead in a musical within days of arriving on campus.