<p>Brielle, if there is only one in-state school with your major, that may be your best choice. As to how valid your HS degree is, I am not familiar with that. Not taking the SATs - when my DD transferred, only the most selective schools looked at SATs AFTER the student had 2 years/60 credits. I suspect that most of us here would say the same thing as your counselor (that you have to stay instate), but for different reasons, or put it differently.</p>