You said that Cal is $30000 and Brown is $55,000. That’s $25,000 more per year, not $10,000. It sounds like your parents would pay for part of that big difference? Really nice of them, but how do you feel about that?
The brutal part of this process is getting into a dream school and not being able to go there. It’s just messed up, but it is the first of many big decisions in life that will be determined by finances. But good things still happen!
My daughter made a choice similar to yours. She got into a very good school, but wanted to go look at another one, a few hours away, that was $10,000 a year more. I just said No, there was no point. School A was a perfectly fine school. She was unhappy at first, but 4 years later, she is so glad and knows she ended up at the better place.
We just went through the same process with my son last week. It’s hard to say turn down the school you wanted. It’s sad to watch that dream go “poof”. Plus all your friends are saying they expected you to go somewhere really smart, cool, Ivy, far away, etc. A couple days after you decide and post it with a photo, people will start saying “awesome, congrats”. Then you will go to accepted students events and meet other people who are so excited to be going to Berkeley and you’ll get caught up in the mood. Good luck, either way you will be fine.