@ylracon You are getting good advice of two sorts. One is to encourage/challenge you to look beyond the schools you think you must attend to meet your career goals. There are other less costly options out there. The other is to clarify to you what you can expect in terms of aid. If the private school you’re looking at is 70k then that is at least 280k for 4 years. You can’t borrow but 27k (over 4 years) as student and you won’t find many parents on CC urging your parents to take out huge loans.
Now, as a journalism student you should know how to research so I’d advise you to hit the web at each school you are interested in and read about available aid. Some schools don’t have much to give and they prioritize low income students with what they have. But if you read enough threads you will find lots of poor students who can’t attend their preferred college because aid is not there. Even if you are poor, full ride based on need is pretty rare. The Ivies and a few others are exceptions in terms of aid based on need. Your best chance of paying for private school is merit, if you have the stats, at a good school but that’s not a sure thing at many schools.
Start by sitting down with parents and getting their budget. Do FAFSA and CSS profile with your parents. It will NOT tell you what any given school will give you, but will give you an idea of how schools view your financial situation. Also put your numbers in the Net Price Calculator of each school you are considering. If your family financials are pretty straight forward, then it should give you a good feel for what that school will cost you. (Keep track of your journey, victories, disappointments and hard realities of paying for college and write a hugely helpful series for your school paper next year).
When you have that information, come back and let people help you with more targeted suggestions.