As long as you’re motivated, focused, and stay true to your desires and aptitudes, my view is that undergraduate institution is not nearly as important as it seems to be while you’re in high school or, for that matter, what the “average person on the street” or “family members trying to be helpful” (i.e., the ones who sometimes give you unsolicited advice or make insensitive comments) might think. That is to say, choice of grad school seems to be far more correlated with career success and satisfaction than where you go for undergraduate. And even with grad school, grit, determination and following one’s heart turns out to be absolutely critical in any event. Since you seem to like U if Denver and like the area in general, follow your heart and save the money for grad school or some other self-actualizing purchase. Tulane is a wonderful school (and also close to significant outdoor opportunities as well: think boating, camping, hiking, while water, etc.), with great diversity to boot, but I see you are juiced up about U of Denver and the great opportunities it offers so I am inclined to concur with the other responders on this thread that U of Denver is the place for you!