If you’re interested in the space industry, then forming relationships in areas where the space industry is prominent is one strategy that could make a lot of sense. Top of mind is Texas and Florida, but also Seattle, L.A., and D.C. Whether a minor in physics or math is sufficient background to form a company working in the industry, I will leave to others.
How much is your family willing and able to afford per year, without loans? As Penn’s NPC is showing a $60k grant, that makes me think that your family is unable to pay $90k/year without loans.
In developing some recommendations of schools, I did refer to these two rankings of undergraduate entrepreneurship programs (and some comments from Poets & Quants on those articles). I realize you’ve expressed an interest in majoring in finance, but if you hope to form your own company, it seems that strong entrepreneurship programs could also be beneficial for your interests. Please note that I am using these rankings not as this school is better than the next school and that the order is correct, but that these are schools that are well-regarded via different methodologies for their strength in this area.
https://www.usnews.com/best-colleges/rankings/business-entrepreneurship
Below are some schools that you may want to consider, sorted by my guesses as to your chances for admission:
Extremely Likely (80-99+%)
- Baylor (TX)
- U. of Houston…extremely well-regarded for its entrepreneurship programs
- U. of Texas - Dallas
- Texas Christian
Likely (60-79%)
- Bentley (MA)
- Santa Clara (CA)
- U. of Maryland
Toss-Up (40-59%)
- Loyola Marymount (CA)
Lower Probability (20-39%)
- Babson (MA)
Low Probability (less than 20%)
- Wash U. (MO)
- Rice (TX)
- All the schools on your current list, with the possible exception of UT, to which I would speak to your high school counselor