<p>Perhaps you ought to think about doing some kind of transfer? I am NOT an expert on this stuff, but maybe if you move to the state in which you want to go to college (Texas…) and go to a community college there then you could establish residency and save tens of thousands of dollars? If I were you I would ask around on this forum about how to achieve the best chances of transferring like that, but I hear that sometimes you only need 20-30 units to transfer (~2 semesters=1 year=residency), so if you’re really motivated and get straight As it would seem to me that it could actually INCREASE your chances of getting into the school as well. Especially if you make it clear to the university that you literally moved and had to transfer all because you so desperately want to get into this particular school.</p>
<p>Edit: Also, this would give you time to broaden your EC’s… hold down a steady job, join some clubs, do some community stuff, etc.</p>