I just wanted to add to the sentiment of apply to several places and visit to see what you think about them. I went to WPI over RPI and Lehigh because of my experiences while visiting them. In the end I'm glad I did.
Also because I ended up with a job in CT I'm able to get my masters from RPI (August I hope
)at their satellite campus. My point being that maybe one school isn't right for you at the time you graduate highschool because of who you are, but down the road it may. Remember its easier to transfer into some more competitive than to get in as a freshman.
Oh 1 last thing the associates before entering an engineering program I'm wary of based on seeing people who did a program WPI had for that. The students weren't able to adapt to the pace and workload of the WPI system with easier courses and I think it hurt them. This may not be true for all students and schools but in a technical major its a consideration I mention in hope that you think about it carefully.
In the end where I work we hired people from MIT, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, WPI, RPI, UCONN, and Florida State. All of whom are good engineers, and I even work with a ChemEng who was valedictorian of his class at UCONN (I only mention this because he gets embarassed when we crack jokes about it).