<p>Tell her what you are willing to pay for college (my guess would be the COA at UMass Amherst). If she gets enough aid at other schools, she can go there. If she doesn’t, and can’t come up with the difference on her own, she goes to UMass Amherst or takes a gap year.</p>
<p>Can one of those “everyone we know” folks also talk to her about their experiences at the school?</p>