Before you attend someplace new- and ideally before you apply- suggest it would be wise to contact current students attending there- including upper-level students in your intended major- and get “the real poop”. If done sooner rather than later, this could help inform your application list. And make for a more effective application.
Consider what extra “remedial” courses you may have to take, in each case , to meet distribution and any other university requirements.
Recognize that LAC’s have relatively few slots, and the more selective universities are indeed more selective. So you should ideally have more than just stats on offer. Also you should start from a wider net, and whittle down intelligently to the ones that, after your research, legitimately best meet your needs.
For the application, emphasis should be on why the particular target school is a great fit for you, why “you belong there”. Then, how it resolves/ mitigates the aspects of your current situation that you would like to improve upon. Finally, “what’s in it for them?” Why should they take you, above the other qualified candidates that may fit? How will your presence there enhance their community?