One of the best things my parents ever did for me (and themselves) was tell me, despite getting accepted, that I was not going to a fancy 40k+/yr school for und

One of the best things my parents ever did for me (and themselves) was tell me, despite getting accepted, that I was not going to a fancy 40k+/yr school for undergrad. I was angsty about it at the time, but I got over it pretty quick and now looking back appreciate how much stress and debt they saved me from. I went to a magnet high school so there was a lot of pressure to go to a "prestigious" school, and "settling" for a public university was uncool. But of course ultimately something like 10% of my graduating class went to the local public university. I had a phenomenal time there. I keep in touch with many folks from high school, and while some of them that went on to expensive private schools have been very successful (usually rather wealthy already), I'd say that on balance the kids who went to affordable-but-respected programs are doing better 10-15 years after graduation than the kids who went to expensive elite schools on debt. The debt burden of those expensive schools can be truly devastating, financially and emotionally. I am seeing the long-term effects of it on my peers still after 15 years. And the costs have gotten even higher now. As a parent, one should think very very carefully about whether it is truly worth it.