Another thought occurred to me - what about schools like Hopkins or Duke? I know that merit aid is incredibly competitive, but does the fact that they do give out some come into play?
@mom2collegekids I applied with biology/neuroscience, but I’m not deadset and intend to investigate more in college, although my interests are generally more STEM or social science leaning. For career goals, med school is a big maybe, I know if this is the route I go then there will be plenty more to pay down the road, becoming a professor is also something I’ve always thought about - which again, will have to pay for grad school too! And I realize CS is a different path entirely, but it’s been on my radar too.