<p>Sadly, you will not be the only person in this boat. Unfortunately you didn’t get great advice or find the information you needed to figure out which schools offer merit scholarships (ex. Fordham) you might qualify for or to find other lower cost options (ex. SUNY Binghamton). If you go to Rutgers, keep your head up, work hard, do really well and you should get into a strong grad program. Maybe ask if there is an honors program at Rutgers that you could qualify for. In any event, your combination of being smart and working hard will pay off in the end.</p>