Maybe even try looking at neighboring states, too.

BUT I’d advise against applying to a school (i.e, Chapel Hill) where you know you don’t want to go. That’s a waste of time and effort.

Also, don’t worry about financial aid yet. When I applied to colleges, the top-end one was $35, 000 a year. I didn’t think I could afford it and even thought I was going to have to go to the cheaper state school.

Instead, I got a lot of financial aid from the “expensive” school, which made coming here LESS expensive than going to the state university.

You never know until you get your financial aid letter. And keep in mind that many financial aid departments will reconsider your aid package if you supply mitigating circumstances (not true in all cases, though).

Good luck!

You do not necessarily have to go to pharmacy school in North Carolina to come back to North Carolina so I would also consider top schools in other states.

Finally, even if one school is too expensive, you never know what type of financial aid package or merit scholarships you might receive. I would not eliminate any school at this stage because of money. Instead, I would apply and then, if accepted, look at the financial aid packages to see if you could afford to go the school that you decide is best for you.

p.s. When I was in your shoes, I applied to 10-12 schools. I do not know how applications have changed over the past 20 years, but a lot of the information was easy to transfer from one application to another with minor changes.