[dblarons]

I guess I rationalize spending the money for University in two ways:

First, the cliché: You are almost guaranteed to make enough money coming out of college to pay off debt incurred in a reasonable amount of time. Anything extra from that point is profit.

Second: Use college as a time to not only learn what is being taught, but also to explore your crazy interests that would never get the time of day if you weren't being fed, housed, and taken care of. There is so much about college that you really do gain aside from the degree.

Definitely look into financial aid if you haven't already. I had many friends attend their first year of college without exploring financial aid, only to discover that their next 3 years could be 50% cheaper.