Re: #2
The web site is http://www.collegeguide.org .
When it had school mini-profiles on the web site, it used to have a red/yellow/green light rating for political environment. Green seemed to include both extremely right-leaning (often heavily religious) schools as well as those where there seemed to be (at least in their opinion) a reasonable spread of political diversity. Red seemed to indicate what they saw as excessively left-leaning schools.
Why can’t you see yourself at UT Austin or other Texas schools?
Oberlin and Reed consider level of applicant’s interest, so they may not want to be anyone’s safeties. NYU is expensive with poor financial aid (though perhaps not as bad as in the past).