We chose an OOS Public for several reasons: First, MERIT money (almost-free tuition); Second, a “fit” with the program/major that the in-states didn’t have; Third, the Honors program that was unlike others (tutorial based for majors, with no general ed requirements); Fourth, an incredibly friendly, welcoming environment.
Plus, it didn’t help that we got a letter from our in-state flagship “disqualifying” our son for any scholarships because of his low SAT scores. He had a 1580 (out of 1600). Upon further investigation, we found that they were using his SAT scores from sixth grade that were required for a special program.