<p>I don't think it is fair to judge the OP/the OP's family. Financial values are very individual...it is not for us to say definitively whether or not the OP should spend the big bucks or take the free ride. In some families, the best possible education is held in such a high regard that as long as a way can be found, it will be paid for. Others' values are different, but that does not make them right or wrong. </p>
<p>To the OP: it seems that you need to really have a talk with your parents about the financial aspects of the decision. You need to find out what "barely able to make it" means. If it means depleting life savings/retirement funds, then I would say that your parents really can't afford it and that you either need to personally take on loans to cover the difference, or go with the free ride. If it means lean living (no more vacations or restaurant dinners for the next few years) and a <em>little</em> bit of your parents' savings, then I would feel much better about telling you not to worry too much about the finances. </p>
<p>Yes, you can be successful from nearly any college, and certainly Rutgers is a solid, well-reputed college, but at the same time, if you will be misearably unhappy and will spend the rest of your life thinking about what could have been, then it would behoove you to figure out some way to attend your dream college.</p>