<p>Someone mentioned Ole Miss. Based on your SAT and GPA, you would probably get a near-to-full or full tuition Academic Excellence scholarship. See this: <a href=“http://finaid.olemiss.edu/scholarships/#8”>http://finaid.olemiss.edu/scholarships/#8</a></p>
<p>Housing is inexpensive there, as is the meal plan. We have high California-type income, and only qualify to take out the one unsubsidized federal loan for the freshman year, and if we chose to do this, we would actually have zero up front out of pocket costs. A very nice thought.</p>
<p>Rather than a last resort, Ole Miss offers a really great opportunity and a rare one these days. When we went to an Admitted Students Day recently, the overwhelming majority of students there were from out of state. And the student ambassadors who gave presentations were from states including California, Washington, and Arizona.</p>
<p>I am a California native, and yes, I admit, when I was your age, I would never have considered Mississippi, and not just the school, but the state in general, or really the south in general, or really beyond that, anywhere not in California (though I did end up in Florida.) So it would be out of the box thinking, and you would have the plane travel (Southwest flies into Memphis and Ole Miss offers shuttles.)</p>
<p>I am sorry to hear that it is so hard for California residents to get into California universities these days. It is so sad. </p>
<p>Anyway, just wanted to throw that info back into the mix, though it sounds like you have a plan, and I certainly wish it all works out for you.</p>