Find out exactly how in debt you’d be after attending this school- and if you could not reasonably make back the money in ten years time- don’t go there. Mind you there are so very many scholarships out there that it is worth it to find out about and obtain as many as you possibly can.

That said, however, visit as many schools in the acceptable range as you can and see if they MIGHT be all right, after all, if you find you just can’t afford your first choice. My trick when I was college hunting (I’m an artist) was i looked at the work of the seniors (in your case, you’d listen, of course) and if I was already better than the majority of their students in my field, I scratched that school off my list. Find out also how much they’ll help you job hunt. It’s worth it to know you won’t be set adrift when you graduate.

Regardless, you’ll be an adult. Adults figure out how to pay for things they want, with or without mom and dad. It’s time to live your life how you want to do it.