<p>LOL, I thought about getting rid of that one, because I just copied and pasted from another posting I had. But you said you wanted the authentic college experience…</p>
<p>OK, you will qualify for financial aid based on your own numbers; your parents won’t get involved in the process at your age I don’t believe. Still, are they willing to help out at all? In any case, I am guessing that any financial aid package will involve some debt if you go OOS, maybe even in state. In state it shouldn’t be too much at all though. Don’t be afraid of small amounts of debt, maybe up to $10K. Even some OOS might not require more than that. But I think the privates might not be on the table due to expense. I know you might only have 2 years, but it might take 2.5-3 years so you have to be prepared for that.</p>
<p>An excellent choice might be SUNY Stony Brook. It looks like it is right about 10,000 undergrads, you are right on the water, and it is about $18,000 a year total COA right now, instate. So your $50K should be enough. And it has a great reputation.</p>
<p>You could look at University of Maryland Baltimore County. A little pricier, but probably doable. Suburban Baltimore, and therefore not far from the ocean. Also about 10,000 undergrads, and has grad students. This school is probably more commuter, but that’s only a guess on my part.</p>
<p>University of North Carolina Wilmington would be a great choice, but you would have to see what it takes to establish residency first. It is a tremendous bargain for in state, but absurd for OOS.</p>
<p>Of course there is Rutgers, at $21,600 for OOS tuition, plus another $10K for room/board, then the other costs. About half that tuition for in state. Might be worth looking into residency there if that interested you.</p>
<p>Hope that helps get you started.</p>