<p>Get off your high horse and suck it up. I was also accepted into a prestigious school, but was unable to attend due to financial reasons. Is Umass my top choice? Not at all but I’m still going anyways. My advice is that you can either slowly wade in the pool or just go ahead and jump right it. Either way, you are still going to get wet, the quicker it happens, the easier it will be for you. </p>
<p>Umass is a pretty nice place, and everyone I know that goes there loves it. It all depends on what you will make of it. And employers know that going to a state school most of the time is for financial reasons, and will not hold that against you. And once you get your fist job, it really doesn’t matter where you actually went to school.
Good luck with your internal conflicts, and see you at Umass in the fall!</p>