As a poor high school student applying to colleges, I was only accepted to the best college I applied to (the one everyone at the time told me would never accept me). It never made sense to me until I realized that top tier schools with large endowments are able to make their acceptance decisions blind to the applicant's ability to pay, while other schools aren't. I received a $20,000 dollar a year grant from the school to make attendance possible, and paid for most of the rest with loans.
I definitely doubted myself, and only applied to that school because a "stretch" school was recommended by the guidance counselor. It's hard for a poor child from a broken home who never received any accommodations from his public school to find the confidence to believe they belong at an expensive top tier private university. I guess the diploma on my wall says I did.
It's certainly important for applicants to look past the price tag and consider what each school will actually ask them to pay based on their financial situation.
