Reality check (private colleges & merit aid) & whether it's worth it to research/apply

@Theoden i would be careful posting about that Colby offer. All colleges that say they offer a particular discount based on income also say, in the fine print, that the family’s savings come into account. If a family has considerable savings, they will not get that discount. It’s not as simple as $150k income and you pay $15k. See the “with assets typical for that range” comment in their info.