@amxn15 - My son has the same choices you do. We are out-of-state, he has been accepted into the TTSB program, and also has a scholarship offer for $17,000 from University of South Carolina. Almost identical to what you have. When he got the TTSB letter, he was extremely disappointed. He thought he had earned the chance to start in the fall and not to have the additional time and cost of Summer II session. So what did he do? He called admissions, housing, and financial aid to have conversations about the program. The admissions counselor told him that his gpa was the main factor in getting offered TTSB. His test scores were strong, but his gpa was lower than the level of those admitted to the pre-business fall semester. They made him feel good about the acceptance, said they strongly believed he had what it took to be successful, and walked him through the support he would have available as part of TTSB. He brought up the cost and was told very nicely that every person must evaluate the cost and make the decision that is best for their particular situation. TTSB is not about showing you can succeed in college. It is all about the fact that they continue to receive more “quality” applications every year and looked for a solution that allowed them to admit these students and to gauge their seriousness around going to Clemson.
He made the same type of calls to Financial Aid and Housing who both treated him with respect and excitement. The woman from housing is unbelievable. She must have congratulated him on all of his work about 5 times. Told him to make sure he stops by and sees her during orientation and that she is looking out for his housing application. Financial aid was also very upfront and explained everything to us. However, it comes down to can you afford the school given no merit aid. They will tell you they understand your situation and the cost, but they do not set the budget.
It’s a very tough decision, but you do have options. You have USC with a scholarship waiting for you. That is so much better than many others. Make a decision, don’t look back, and put all your energy into wherever you end up going.