<p>Your situation is very similar to my daughter’s.</p>
<p>Everyone we know, with few exceptions, sends their kids to one of our 2 state schools. Nothing wrong with either, but it’s more the expectation inherent in the, as @intparent says, “provincial” atmosphere here. My D’s merit/need award from a top 20 university offers us a better situation than the merit-only awards at either state school; however, most that know our situation can’t seem to wrap their minds around this fact. They assume the state schools must be better financial options and say we are “crazy” for sending our daughter to that “fancy, expensive school”. It’s a strange culture based largely on misinformation. Very few around here have heard of any LAC’s outside the state (of which there are very few). They have heard of HYPMS, but know little or nothing of the other Ivy’s. Fortunately, my D is not swayed by public opinion. </p>
<p>My guess is that if you simply explain your situation to your friends, they will not only understand, they will be proud of your accomplishments.</p>
<p>@Brownparent: YOU ARE RIGHT. That would be quite a different case. That is she got into Trinity University and Austin College, which are both in Texas, but also very less known even in Texas. So that will make great sense why here peers might be giving her a hard time.
Going through her post… OP never quite mentioned the private schools she got acceptance to… !!!</p>
<p>Where I have a problem with what A&M did, is that they have this Aggie assurance program. Apparently, it is strictly by income, but does not take family size in to consideration. I spoke to them about this a couple times, because of the fact that it did not seem right so I called at another time to speak to someone else. An individual, a single person, with an income of $60K will get grants and such. But a family of 10 with $60,001 will get nothing. I think that is horrible and unfair. Someone with a personal income of $60K that is single is in a position to pay for this. Plus, I know several people with way lower stats than me who were given scholarships last year. Then this year, I am in the top 10% and I did not even get the top 10% scholarship. They were very rude when I tried to speak to them, even though I was very nice, and pretty much groveling. I was fighting back the tears when I spoke to them. I think that is wrong. Plus, they are the ones who came after me and recruited me. I had no interest in them. They sent me multiple letters and when I spoke to them, they insisted that they would “meet need” and that usually, when you are in the honors program and such and have my test scores, there is some sort of scholarship. This came from the people with regards to the NSI event. I did not even like them. I started to feel like I was the one who was judgemental and that everyone else loved this school so I should love them too. I grew excited about going there. I had met with the financial aid office and everything. And then they give me nothing but loans and a work study. But the workstudy was for $1600, which is still great and all. But, that still leaves my parents portion to pay at 3.5 times their EFC. </p>
<p>I feel like I was deceived. On the other hand, UT Austin never came after me with promises of scholarships and financial aid. I knew financial aid was unlikely. When their package came out, with was 100% loans, no work study even, I was basically ok with it. I was sad, but I never felt deceived. They never spent all the time and effort to convince me to go there. They never lied to me about financial aid to try to pull me in. They were not deceptive. And it is the deception that is bothering me so much actually. I had heard from others that the state schools do not give much in financial aid, so I was, so originally, I was not even going to apply to either one. But, A&M came after me, and they lied to me, and they told me I would receive grants and possibly scholarships. They just lied. I spent time, effort, and money on applying. I made multiple trips down there. And then, turns out, they are liars. They deceived me and my parents. </p>
<p>I am sorry Intparent…I did not apply to those. Financial aid was workable, and I received large scholarships and in most cased, need based aid, at multiple schools, but all Texas ones. I put down my deposit today on a small LAC. I had more aid at one of the other schools. But, the small LAC seems like the best fit. I actually feel guilty about calling the other schools and declining admission now.</p>
<p>So what that the schools are well known or not? My son and a lot of peers got very nice scholarships to some local private schools that are not on the “A” or even “B” lists of US News . Most all of them that took those offers are doing very well these days, and not a penny in debt. I’d say those kids as a group are doing much better than most other groupings of college types and IMO doing as well as they would have done or better than what their optimal choice by peer and self standards were.</p>
<p>It sounds like you have decided now. 
If an LAC is the right fit for you, then go for it. I stand by the advice that you should not worry about what others are saying. YOU are the one who has to go to college for the next four years, not them.</p>
<p>If everything we’ve suggested won"'t work, you can sweetly say “so glad you feel so strongly about it, would you fund my studies there, since they didn’t provide me with financial aid?”</p>
<p>I tell people all the time that we just couldn’t afford our state flagship-no shame in that. Two of my 4 kids are at a small LAC that has their chosen program, offered great merit money and will allow them to get through grad school debt free. And the fact that I have to explain where the school is located, doesn’t bother me at all. It’s our choice, it’s affordable, and the experience is what they make of it.</p>