<p>“I’m either gonna need to find a ****LOAD of scholarships or take out loans to afford the approximately $40K total college life style: $30k/year tuition + $8000/year housing + other expenses.”</p>
<p>Who, exactly, is going to loan you $80k so you can stay where you are?</p>
<p>Even if you can find someone to do that for you, just exactly how long do you think it is going to take you to get that paid off? An annual salary of 55k is going to be something more like 40k after taxes. Run some of the loan repayment calculators at [FinAid</a>! Financial Aid, College Scholarships and Student Loans](<a href=“http://www.finaid.org%5DFinAid”>http://www.finaid.org) and at [College</a> Calculators - savings calculators - college costs, loans](<a href=“College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools”>Calculate Your Cost – BigFuture | College Board) to get an idea of how long and painful the loan repayment process is likely to be.</p>
<p>If you were my kid, I’d tell you to follow the money even if it means an extra semester of school.</p>