It sounds like you’re in state for MA. Are there any colleges within commuting distance?
How much can your parents contribute without borrowing? You said that $15k was doable. Can they pay that with earnings and savings or does that figure include the ~$5500 federal student loan? If your test scores and GPA are high enough for free tuition, $15k would cover room and board.
If you don’t have any affordable acceptances your choices are attending community college or taking a gap year and applying to a new set of schools. Community college would work because the first 2 years are mostly gen eds anyway, but you’d have to have a transfer plan. Another option is the NACAC list that will be released May 1st. It will have schools that are still accepting students, but I don’t know if they offer any financial aid.
I understand unique majors. When I was your age I was a low income student with a specialized major (broadcasting) and the area I lived in had no 4 year universities within commuting distance that offered it. So I got a degree from our local cc and moved to a town that had a state school with the major I wanted. I worked full-time and took a class or two at a time as I could afford it. If finances aren’t a consideration you can do what you want, but when money matters you can’t hold out for a specific anything – major, location, dream school – because the chances of financing it are remote.
If you tell us your stats and your parents’ budget, we may be able to offer viable suggestions. But there’s nothing anybody can do if your net cost is $30k and your parents can only pay $10k.