It shows same kids get accepted to several of these top 20 schools and pick according to affordability and their personal preferences.
@john963red I sure hope you are reading these threads linked above. Especially the long comments from @Gh0st3737 about how great Rice is.
@CardinalBobcat Thank you so much for your detailed response; I couldn’t have summarized my thoughts and emotions any better than you have.
@powercropper Yes, I have read all the linked threads. I’ve spent a considerable amount of time time attempting to distinguish between objective opinions and skewed opinions from alumni.
So far, based on the responses here, it looks like taking Princeton off my list would be a reasonable move to make. It seems to be between MIT and Rice now. It appears that there are more people speaking from firsthand experiences with Rice than people who are capable of doing the same for MIT?
Glad you are making progress! More random questions for you to think about.
You might end up working near your college. Any preference on living in Texas vs. the Northeast?
Do you have any family or friend connections anywhere near either college?
The residential college system at Rice seems like a very supportive community. Does MIT offer you any kind of community from day one?
Spend one hour pretending you have chosen MIT. Sit with your emotions and grieve the loss of Rice. Then do the opposite–choose Rice and grieve MIT. How do you feel? Which loss is too great?
You can do this! Best wishes for coming to a decision you can be confident about.
I know a mom of a Rice ChemE. She just posted on her Facebook page that her student is sleeping maybe 4-5 hrs per night tops.
Pretty sure ChemE is going to be rigorous anywhere. Choose where you would most want to spend the next four years.
Great observation, and this would lead to some bias in the answers. Were you able to call and talk to any current students at MIT as a previous poster suggested? Did you ask in the MIT forum here (I have no idea how active it is?)
You can also take those testimonials as a proof of credibility for a college’s high rank on those happiest school lists. Obviously every poster has some biases so always take all CC posts with few grains of salt.
@john963red Imposter syndrome is real! As others have said, the fact that you got into three such prestigious programs was not an accident. These highly-ranked schools all thought you were capable of succeeding on their campuses and they are right. It’s highly doubtful that you will flunk out or sink into mediocrity.
MIT has a grading policy for first year students eases you into graded courses (as opposed to pass/no credit) if that helps to ease your trepidations.
@CardinalBobcat did a great job summing up many the parameters so I won’t try to repeat only to do less well. I will say that I agree with earlier comments that there is not a bad decision here and that MIT/Rice seem like better options than Princeton. I would also add that happy students are most likely to succeed. Take your experience at MIT at face value rather than an orchestrated performance. Compare it to Rice. Which feels happier? Where would you rather live for four years? Either will set you up well for a career in Engineering. Congratulations!
@john963red Let us know what you decide! Whichever school you choose will be lucky to have you.
Thank you all so much for all your advice and support. I have decided to join the MIT class of 2023, and thanks to so many of your answers, I feel that I have made a well-informed decision!
Congratulations, @john963red! Have a fabulous time at MIT!! I’m thrilled that you feel great about your choice and your decision-making process. An exciting future awaits you. Thank you for updating us.
@john963red - great choice! I lived in the area for about 9 years and it is a very energetic part of the country. My DH went to grad school at MIT, and said how amazing it was to be surrounded by so many great minds. Your original post really struck a chord with me- even though I am much older than you are. It took me years to realize that I wasn’t going to fail at every new job, or that I wouldn’t be revealed as an impostor compared to my colleagues in terms of knowledge and capability. @mamaedefamilia is correct that impostor syndrome is very real. So- one piece of advice would be to do some thinking, reading, research and potentially even sit down with people you trust who can help you on that topic. I know it would have saved me from a lot of sleepless nights over the years. 
Congratulations and rock those four years!