UTSW is a top choice because I have been a faculty there for 5 years or so, training grad, PhD and med students. I have a lot of past collaborations (and of course many publications, even a drug patent, on which I am inventor, but owned by UTSW). But this was expected from me as a researcher. I hope to stay in TX ideally in Dallas,
You sound like a perfect fit for UTSW. Their ADCOM looks for a lot more than just grades. They look to see who you are as a total person, and to see if you fit into their overall mission statement. You obviously have a lot of experiences which would greatly add to the diversity of the student body, not the least of which is your ability to build a strong marriage and a strong family.
I am not filling out the AMCAS either. Although Ivy League schools certainly come with a lot of prestige, I went to SMU the other day to have lunch with a professor friend of mine. On my way there, I had a 19 y/o kid in a $70,000 Mercedes honking at me because I couldn't figure out how to get the gate open at the parking garage. It is my opinion that 19 year old kids should not be driving brand new Mercedes. I think at Harvard or Yale, it will be even worse. I don't think I would enjoy going to the student center and having a conversation with another student about "My dad is a senator, what does your dad do?" I imagine you get a lot of that at the Ivy Leagues.
One thing I like about UTSW is that it is full of people striving to be better. I have not met too many people there who feel they are "entitled" to be there. The "entitled" people go to the Ivy League schools. The rest of us who want to be the best we can be, and are striving to make something of our lives despite setbacks choose a place like UTSW.
Besides have you looked at the tuition for the Ivy Leagues? $50,000 a year. At UTSW, it is $15,000 a year. With the $140,000 you save in tuition, you could travel to countless professional meetings. Not to mention the interest payments on that extra debt you'd be paying during your residency. By my calculations, $140,000 in extra student loans results in about $1,000 a month extra that you have to pay during your residency.
There are a lot of good reasons to go to school in Dallas.