<p>Thanks everyone for their input and experiences. The May 1st deadline is coming up and I am still giving the matter a lot of thought. My dad told me that he has the money saved, so they would not be taking out debts, but it is, as some posters have related, a lot of money, that might be better spent elsewhere. </p>
<p>I feel privileged in that I can even ask this question as in the environment that I grew up in, few people even consider a private school. About half of the students of my school are going on to community college or the local state school, with the rest going to UCs. I thought Dad23's comment that maybe I went to a better school was very interesting, as in terms of test scores and college placements, my school is certainly nowhere near the top. But I feel my school and especially my classmates have helped me develop into who I am today, and for that I am grateful. </p>
<p>It is only because the school I am considering is one of HYPS schools that I am even giving this some thought. Of my family, all of my father's siblings never went to college and of the two cousins who I grew up with and who still live with us, one goes to community and the other the local state school. Both they and my younger cousins would never consider a private school, especially since our state school system is so good.</p>
<p>I am undecided about the field I want to go into, which is why the question about graduate school tuition worries me and also partly why I feel the private school would be a better fit than the public where it is fairly difficult to change majors.</p>
<p>I do believe my dad when he says he has the money saved, but the problem is that I don't know the state of retirement funds, medical fees, etc. For a student in my environment, just asking this question is pretty selfish. Just yesterday I was talking to a classmate who dropped out of high school to enter some community college classes, lives in a small apartment with his mom, and is facing the prospect of being kicked out next year to live in an RV alone. He is the same age as me. Today, I was eating lunch with a friend who had to ask how much a bag of chips was and put it back when he was told it was more than $1. Compared to some of my classmates, I know I am already really lucky. Another of my classmates could not afford lunch because his mom just lost her job, while I get $20 a week for lunch. </p>
<p>The problem is that I know my parents and family would insist on this college because it is one of the "name" colleges and I am probably the only one of our cousins who will have the opportunity to go to one of the top privates. I was lucky enough to get Regents at all the top UCs, so to turn that down would be very hard. I do not want my family to have to take on more hardship that the 200k could help with.</p>
<p>I thank everyone very sincerely for their comments as they have given me a lot to think about and I will discuss the matter more thoroughly with my parents before my final decision. Thanks again.</p>