Tulip, this is a state school, and I count as an in-state student. It's not even a big state school. Ohio has expensive public universities compared to some. I looked at California students' outrage over tuition increases and went "Huh? Even with the increase, that's less than OSU's!" (Granted, Ohio is much cheaper than California to live in...)

I'm filing my FAFSA anyway, but the money in question is in my name, not my parents'. (Well, one is joint, which is where it gets weird.) This was not my first choice of plans (thanks, federal grant situation!), so while it may put me in a better place when it comes to PhD admissions--they like academics--the fact of the matter is that in the long run, it's probably not a good idea. And frankly, I'm not even sure at this point that the PhD is worth it. Not enough jobs.

I should have been an engineer. (ha!)