Really, you need to wait and see what your financial aid offers look like. Did you pick schools with the price tag in mind? There are places you can go to college out of state cheaply, but the “cool schools” that have a lot of demand don’t give merit scholarships. They often meet financial need, but as one “dream school” financial aid offer put it, “It’s supposed to hurt a little bit.” “Meeting need” often means setting the price to the limit your family can afford.