@Wien2NC 's wise words are something that I think every student, parent, guidance counselor, teacher, and nosy neighbor or butinsky family member should be required to repeat before making a decision or voicing an opinion on college selection:
@zahmat, you seem to be a particularly intelligent, articulate, and thoughtful young person. If you continue on the path you’ve chosen for the past several years, you will likely be successful regardless of whether you wind up at a super-selective “elite” school or merely a very selective “excellent” school. You have the stats, the accomplishments, and the mindset to make you a good candidate for top-20 universities. Those same accomplishments make you an equally good candidate for extremely competitive merit awards at top-50 schools like some that have already been mentioned and automatic merit packages at others. If your plan is to pursue a post-graduate degree and you’re concerned about finances, a lower-cost undergrad degree at an excellent school will give you both the background and the economic freedom to pursue a graduate degree without having to go through this same crisis of conscience four years from now when you’re making decisions about your next steps.