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I grew up in a working-class family in a rural, low-income area, and went to public school my whole life. I moved to a more suburban, middle-class area for high school -- but still, an area where maybe 70% of the students go on to attend college, and a large percentage of those live at home and attend the nearby community college. I applied to more colleges than anyone else I knew -- Harvard (reach), Miami Ohio, Butler and UVA (matches) and Dayton and Ball State (safeties).
I knew from the get-go that I was on my own paying for college, so I knew it was very likely that I would end up at Miami, since it was the only in-state state school I applied to. I applied to Harvard just for kicks and was rejected. I was accepted at UVA but liked Miami just as much, if not better, and Miami was cheaper. I basically applied to the rest of the schools just to see what they'd give in financial aid.
I had almost all of my tuition covered by scholarships and took out a loan to cover living expenses when I lived on campus. I moved off campus junior year and worked full-time to pay rent and living expenses. I graduated owing very little, and I know I got a comparable education to what I would have had at UVA for significantly cheaper. I think if more kids had to pay for their own education, they'd be a lot more practical in the college search.
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