Yes, finances are a consideration, but your suggestions seem flawed. Going oos will be absurdly expensive, travel and healthcare alone (my family’s doesn’t transfer), is already thousands of dollars.
And you misunderstand. I have safeties, I have targets, and they’re all in-state. I posted on chance me because my family is not supportive and I have no real concept of what my shot at some of these schools is. Yes I’ve done the research, and I know of the schools you listed, they just aren’t right for me.
I also want to clarify that I meant a top tier research university with a history of prestigious fellowships and top graduate outcomes that is also liberal arts oriented. Most colleges aren’t like this. I’ve spoken to many faculty and have experience with a variety of “average colleges”, none of which have anything close to the level of academic intensity and breadth of excellence that I’m searching for.
Of course it hurts, but that’s not a valid reason to stop. I’m aware that they likely won’t be affordable first year, but I plan on contacting the AOs and pleading my case, then asking them to keep my name in mind for when I apply again next year. I will not give up so easily, I’m not applying to a prestigious school for the name, I’m applying because I know I have the potential to massively improve society if someone decides I’m worthy of an investment. Not that I won’t pursue my dreams regardless, I’ll just have a better shot at a school with existing connections and opportunities.
Of course I’ll find motivated students at a local school, and I’ve never implied otherwise. That just isn’t what I’m looking for. If I’m not consistently challenged and motivated, I get lazy. I’ve been surrounded by some of the brightest students in the country at a nationally ranked public high school, and I don’t want anything less for college. My peers are a part of what inspires me to work as hard as I do and achieve beyond the bare minimum. I have enough knowledge of my state school to know that this environment doesn’t exist there to anywhere near the degree I described. My peers who do attend are not intellectually stimulated, which is incredibly important to me in all of my pursuits.