“But a university like UChicago, which offers a sort of immersion experience in the intellect, is hard to pass up. You only live one life. How do you put a price on that experience? Money will come. The intellectual opportunity at UChicago is irreplacable.”
This is one of the most irresponsible posts I’ve seen on CC. Hopefully you are not a parent.
How do you put a price on UC education? Easy, you read the cost of attendance. If you don’t have it, you should not debt yourself into a “dream” which will become a nightmare later in life. The OP clearly is surrounded by wealthy kids who can ED and full pay at their schools of choice so this comment about this opportunity being “irreplaceable” is really not helpful.
OP, take your excellent options and choose the school with the best fit that your family can afford. Congrats on the acceptances!