<p>^^^
Actually, you’re not in any different situation then kids with married parents who have good incomes but they can’t/won’t pay $50k a year. Those kids also have the capacity to go to fantastic schools without the financial means to do so because their parents can’t/won’t pay. </p>
<p>These schools have to reserve their money for students who don’t have parents with good incomes. If you think that Duke and Cornell wouldn’t “allow this to happen,” the question they would ask is, why is your dad allowing it to happen? Right?</p>
<p>What was your PSAT? Will you also be a National Merit Semi-Finalist/Finalist?</p>
<p>Keep in mind that these top schools don’t give merit scholarships. So, to ensure that you don’t end up with a bunch of unaffordable schools, you need to apply to some schools that will give you big merit for your stats.</p>