Not sure what major you wanted to do, but personally, this is the mindset I had when I chose to apply to A&M and actually go (before getting accepted).
Keep in mind, I am probably in the minority with this way of thinking.
I knew that I wanted to go to A&M long before I applied, and I knew I wanted to do engineering. With those two in mind, I did not know how much I was going to be offered in scholarships/grants/loans, but I fully expected to be willing to go deep into debt, as long as I was able to attend A&M. The engineering at this school is amazing, and I knew that I would be able to find a job, and succeed, and eventually pay off any accumulated debt.