<p>Agreed that private schools are NOT the only way to go; there are some stellar publics–the UCs, UVA, Univ. of Michigan, Univ. of Washington, UNC @ Chapel Hill, Univ. of Texas @ Austin, and the list goes on and on.</p>
<p>My understanding is that Tulane, Washington University in St. Louis, Rice, Emory, and others offer substantial merit scholarships and that the Ivy league, I have heard, steps up to offering more FA than most.</p>
<p>Do some research and stop being so name-brand conscience. Private schools are not some sort of panacea–some privates have cultures that would be totally anathema to you I am sure, while some publics are heaven on earth for some students.</p>
<p>N.B. It’s a little presumptuous, as well, for the other self-assigned MBAs on this thread to determine if the poster’s family can live on 75k, after paying 100k in two tuitions. 75,000 isn’t going to be a lot to live on factoring in health insurance, mortgages, property taxes, car payments, food, clothing, esp. if the family lives in NYC or the San Francisco Bay area, for example.</p>