http://www.kiplinger.com/tool/college/T014-S001-kiplinger-s-best-values-in-public-colleges/index.php
http://uncnews.unc.edu/facts-about-carolina/facts-figures/
We live in Chapel Hill. Both our sons graduated from Chapel Hill public schools, but took
different directions.
Our youngest son graduated (in 4 years) from UNC-Chapel Hill with a double major. He had
a scholarship worth $20K over 4 years, which just about covered tuition. He managed
to snag a Fulbright Scholarship last year--to spend 10 months in Berlin--studying German theater (he was a German major)
and was admitted last spring to Yale School of Drama for an MFA Class of 2017 (he's first year in that)
and has a sizable scholarship covering almost all his tuition there. Fortunately, we have been
able to cover his living expenses (he also has work study at Yale) and he SHOULD be able to
complete 7 years of undergrad/grad study with NO loans.
He happens to be a really smart kid. We are hoping the Yale credentials--and contacts-- will get him in the door
when it comes time to working in the world of theater.
Our oldest--now at 28-- decided he wanted nothing to do with college after high school--has always known he wanted to work in computers--and he's managed to do very well for himself by teaching himself. His current and previous jobs he was recruited to by
people he knew. We helped him buy a townhouse when he was 25, buying down the mortgage to a level for which he could qualify, using the money we had set aside for his college for his down payment. He has always been a really level headed, responsible kid.
So our kids are night and day different in how they've approached post high school experience/education/career prep.