If your scores are high enough on the college entrance exams aren't you expecting to get a big chunk of aid from the university? [...] if you are a high achiever you can easily get it all paid for without accepting any government aid.
That certainly wasn't the case when I was in school. I got need-based aid, and some small merit scholarships, but there was Federal grant money and student loans in my financial aid package, too. It's my understanding that the financial aid world has become more loan-based in the 20 years since then, too.
When you're going to a school where everyone is high scoring, the school doesn't pay you to go there because you're high scoring. You have to go to a school where most people aren't high scoring if you want a free ride, and that can be a hard sell if you've been waiting for 13 years to finally be around people like you.
