[solost]

I think there are a number of things you need to consider.

Even if you get in, do you have the drive and intellectual chops to enjoy college at one of the most prestigious universities in the county? College is designed to provide you with an education both in the classroom and outside of it. If you have the drive I definitely recommend attending one of the really great schools you mentioned above. However if making the grades is going to take everything you have and leave no time for anything else then I recommend you reconsider even if you do get in. My take on college was that I got a lot more from the experiences you have outside of the classroom than you ever will in it.

I believe if you are smart enough and talented enough to attend a prestigious school like those you mentioned then you shouldn’t worry about the debt you might graduate with. Smart and talented people can overcome their educational debt and the value that comes along with being a graduate from one of those universities in the long run will more than return.

In my own experience I had a chance to attend Duke, however I know that making the grade there was probably more than I was up for at the time. So I want to a less academically challenging school (Arizona) where I could be on the west coast and excel in the classroom but still have the time to really enjoy everything college had to offer. I think at the end of the day you need to make a decision that feels most right to you. I hope that helps.

[nostrademons]

Another option is to go to the hard college and then blow off the classes. It's pretty hard to fail out of an elite college (except for MIT), because that adversely affects their U.S. News rankings and makes them less of an elite college.

IMHO, you learn more by taking harder classes and floundering in them than you do by taking easy classes and acing them. Set the amount of time you're willing to spend on academics, and if you can't do everything that's expected of you, just don't do it.