It seems like those are going to be my 2 choices. My Michigan financial aid package came in much lower than expected (only $5,000 off total). UCSB will be a much more affordable option and I will probably have to go into debt if I go to Michigan. Not sure how much yet - meeting with a financial planner next week.My question is are these two school comparable? I either want to go become a therapist or a lawyer so I will need to go graduate school. Will these schools open up the same opportunities for me? I worked so hard in high school and I want to go to the school that reflects my hard work, but not if a burden on me and my family without tremendous gains.
Just to clarify, if I had gotten into Harvard and UCSB, we would find a way to make it work for me to go to Harvard (probably with some debt/ loans from family members.) Is there a big enough difference between Michigan and UCSB to make the debt worth it?
I’d consider them in the same league. No graduate school is going to choose an applicant because they went to Michigan rather than UCSB, unless the admissions person at the grad school is a Michigan alum.
Have you visited both campuses? They are night and day, very different. I have visited both, accepted to Michigan but chose not to apply to UCSB just too far away from home. I am ruling Michigan out after visiting last month. I don’t want to take a shuttle from the dorm to campus everyday and I just felt the campus was too big for me. And I received no financial aid. But it is an amazing school if it’s the right fit for you and you can afford it financially. I say go with UCSB, they are highly respected and Santa Barbara vs. Michigan winters, which would you rather have? 
@juleslovelife
Are you sure CA colleges will be less expensive than other options? I thought you attended high school in NJ. I’m not sure you’ll get in state rates just because your dad lives in CA.
How much can your parents pay without borrowing? If your mom’s income is $200k, I don’t think you’ll get much need based aid. Is the $5k merit? That won’t put much of a dent in the costs of an OOS college and you can only borrow $5500/year. Are your parents considering cosigning loans for you?
Although for the OP the school may not make much of a difference (therapy programs and law programs seem to put a low priority on undergrad school), UCSB and Michigan are definitely not on the same league. Compare their ACT and SAT score ranges - there is such a difference that there is not even that much overlap. Michigan is certainly on a different tier (peer schools in the UC system would be UC Berkeley and UCLA).
I think @yikesyikesyikes is correct that Michigan is definitely above UCSB in terms of tiers, but you have to judge whether the gap in the tiers is big enough to you to matter. While Michigan’s avg scores are much higher, their overall rankings (USNWR) are not that far apart (Mich 27 vs UCSB 37). You are not choosing between Michigan and “Bob & Joe’s Roadside College”. Both schools are strong enough that other factors should weigh heavily in your decision – such as cost & the elusive “fit”. If one of these schools costs 2x as the other, it’s not worth it, IMO. Also, you need to consider that Michigan’s 4 year grad rate is 90%, while UCSB’s is 67% – which may mean paying for 5 years at UCSB.
On the other hand, my son was considering these two schools & we ruled out Michigan for cost, because we cannot afford to pay OOS ($65,000) at Michigan when he could go to a UC for $35,000. To me, that cost difference would be enough to pick UCSB.
The other thing to consider, finances aside & prestige aside, is how well you fit at both schools. Have you visited? Can you see yourself as a happy, successful student at these schools. Will being in a cold & dreary climate be draining to you? Or, will the temptation to be a beach bum hinder your studies? Do you want big-time, rah rah student body? Or do you want non-stop tank tops & shorts & flip flops? It would be a shame to dismiss UCSB if you feel it’s everything you want in a college except Michigan is ranking a little higher.
As for choice of careers – not sure which school would be better for “therapists” – not sure what type of therapist you mean? If you mean clinical psychologist, then for sure you need to check out the UG programs in psych/soc & find out which programs have stronger track records in UG research opportunities & connections to grad schools (connections matter – my husband has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psych & his UG advisor at Duke had gone to college with the woman who turned out to be his clinical Ph.D. advisor at USC). Good UG programs can open doors at good Grad programs. However, if you want to go to law school, UG major or school doesn’t matter as much (unless you are trying to go to top 10 law school, then UG probably matters).
Good luck – you are very lucky to have 2 great schools to pick from!
UCSB is an excellent university, but I agree with yikesyikesyikes, it is not on par with Michigan. That being said, if your goal is to go to law school or become a therapist, UCSB will serve you just as well. Save your money and go to UCSB.