Nothing in between state schools and high cost private schools?

I live in Ohio, and while researching colleges I have come to the disturbing realization that, although I would probably be accepted to many of the private universities I have researched and liked, I would not qualify for any need-based aid.

My family is wealthy enough so that I won't have to take out student loans, but my parents do not wish to pay $40-$50 thousand a year when my other options include applying to the Ohio State honors program for a significantly reduced cost. I want very much to go to a highly competitive private college out of state, but without any aid package I don't really see this happening.

Is there any alternative I am missing? It seems like the lower-cost private schools aren't very competitive, and have lower-quality programs and fewer majors available. The other public colleges and universities are the same, attracting people with 3.2 GPAs rather than my 3.9.

Help? Where can I go for college that is in between Dartmouth and Ohio State?

I had two cousins who went to Miami, and both reported that it was very "elitist" in nature, and I don't really care for that at all. UC and Miami have been all but ruled so far.

I have yet to decide what major or career I want, but something either in the applied math fields (statistics maybe), or in the health field (physical therapy or speech pathology) is likely. I like social sciences and English, however I don't really see too many career opportunities that are well paying and secure if I go that route.

It really depends on what you want to do, some schools have great Engineering programs and lousy English programs. Some have greater business schools and aren't so great in the arts. Have you at least narrowed down what sort of field you may be interested in?

I chose my school because of the program and their ability to work with adult learners. I have recently graduated from Antioch University in Ohio, but I attended U of Cincinnati prior to that and HATED it. Antioch cost more, but their program suited me and was much more respected in my area of study then UC. But if I wanted to study Engineering or Design then UC would have been a great choice. It's all about what you want to study.

Miami U of OH( I am a little biased just finished my PhD from there) is very competitive and not too outrageous in cost. Also, try Xavier. Depending on your major different colleges in the state are very reputable for specific programs such as CU for engineering and medical and they are not too expensive.

To be perfectly honest, the way that federal funding is going, state schools really aren't as covered as you might be thinking. I know at my university, they advertise that about 80% of students are receiving financial aid of some sort. What they don't tell you is that first, this includes student loans, and second that it is not covering that much of the students expenses.

For me, my fafsa EFC was $0. I did my paperwork on time, and my GPA is a 3.0 (lowered by one semester I did poorly because of a death in the family). You would think that because my EFC is literally 0, I would receive enough financial aid to cover an in state, public school. NOT the case. For the entire year (which as it turns out, I will be graduating in Dec. instead... wahoo!), I was awarded $2000. Not very much money at all, it certainly doesn't cover my school expenses.

I have had this problem every year except my sophomore year, and nothing in my financial situation has changed since then. Unfortunately, I am about 25,000 in debt, with student loans.(Though, I have lived on campus, which is part of it).

Here is the thing. Private schools offer many more scholarships. If I were you, I would find the most appealing universities to you, and see what those specific schools have to offer for financial aid. You would be surprised at how much they will give to students who may not even really need it. Because it is a private school, it's personal and business donations funding the scholarships, so these are the people who hold stock in who actually receives the money.

I really don鈥檛 think you are going to wind up with any more debt going to a private school, as opposed to a state college, if you go about it the right way. If you maintain high grades, and keep yourself a well rounded student, you will have more scholarship possibilities at a private school.

Beyond all that, everyone takes out student loans these days, and it鈥檚 really not that bad. Unfortunately, the name of a school means a lot (more, often, than the education itself), so you will probably have more earning capacity after the fact as well, if you choose a private school.

My advice; go where you want to go. There is always a way to fund the right education, if it鈥檚 what you really want.

Try princetonreview.com - they give a little quiz. You enter in information about yourself and the type of school you are interested in, and they try to match you.