| I think to get good advice from the forum, you need to list more details. Namely, your Freshman GPA (how bad was it?), approximately how much debt you would have to take on in order to finish your degree at your private college, and your actual degree and/or career path options.
I would advise someone who is a music major or education teacher (starting salary 25K or less in some states) to be very modest about student debt at graduation. I would advise someone who is a computer programming major (starting salary of 60K in some states) to be modest in debt load. I advise all people to think seriously before maxing out on student debt.
It should also be noted that the vast majority of careers do not require a degree from a "name brand/ivy/private/top 50/etc" college. For some careers, it isn't even looked at. Some careers don't even need a college degree at all.
Knowing nothing at all but your bare bones post, however, I would suggest Community college followed by state college. Other details revealed might have me leaning in a different direction, though.
Annika |