s/o If you didn't attend or apply to a top college because of the cost...

[Anonymous]

55. I did win a merit scholarship to a not-well-known SLAC, so it worked out fine.

[Anonymous]

54. I'm one of six kids and my parents told all of us that state schools were the only options. I didn't even bother applying to private or OOS schools, even though I was a really strong student. I graduated Phi Beta Kappa from my state flagship and went to a top law school, so all worked out fine - even though I probably would have enjoyed a SLAC more.

[Anonymous]

I'm 56. I was waitlisted at Bowdoin and W&M (out of state), admitted UMass and UVM. Rejected from Williams and Brown. Desperately wanted to go to Bowdoin. Got off the waitlist at both, but not enough aid at Bowdoin. This was back in the days when state schools were relatively cheap even for OOS students. My parents said they could afford W&M (my father really wanted me to go there), so since it seemed like the best school of my remaining options, that's where I went.

With my own kids, we felt our EFC was much more than we could afford. We knew our kids wouldn't get enough aid at top schools, so we took them off the table. Kids applied only to in-state publics and privates where they were strong candidates for merit aid.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is me. I’m 52 and grew up in New York. My choices were limited to the SUNYs. But the lesson stuck and I went to a T25 public law school instead of higher ranked private law school.

I’m good with it. Debt really hangs over you and the less you have, the better.

Maybe it was different back then but these days going to a public law school isn’t necessarily cheaper. UVA was the most expensive law school option I had with in state tuition. I went to a different T14 for less.

It was much different back then. For both undergrad and grad school, state schools were much cheaper than private schools even for OOS students.