The press has picked up the trend of parents putting pressure on students to choose a cheaper college to attend. The New York Times reports on one family's struggle after the father lost his job:

¿It just seems like it¿s really hard, because it is,¿ Ms. Jacobs, an information technology specialist, said of her financial situation. ¿I have two kids in college and I want to say ¿come home,¿ but at the same time I want to provide them with a good education.¿

That's the dilemma facing many families today. If a son or daughter gets into a prestigous school that will open doors, but one with a $50,000 a year price tag, should they discourage them from attending? Starting salaries for grads rarely can afford paying $1,000 a month student loans bills while paying for rent and food. What we should learn from these times is to live within our means, but a college education seems to be the exception. Parent and students alike have tolerated such exorbant prices in the states, while the people of the UK are outraged that Oxford and Cambridge would charge students more than $6,000 a year to attend. If we want to change things, we must speak out for a great education that is affordable for all that have earned it.

From ABC News:

"Universities across the country have billions of dollars in endowment funds tied up in the stock market and other investments, but most schools' invested dollars are considered safe -- and, in some cases, still turning a profit amid the turmoil on Wall Street, financial experts say." 

When mega-endowment schools still recieve high returns during economic crises, this excuse against spending more endowment money is nothing more than a stall tactic.

We've gone through many ways of saving money when going to college on this blog, but haven't resorted to drastic methods. Now's the time to do that. Looking at the University of Michigan's tuition and fees, it costs an out-of-state student almost $45,000 a year to attend! That's Ivy League prices! The in-state costs comes out to be a little over $22,000 year. With some schools having a 60 percent discount for in-state students compared with out-of-state, there's a deal to be had.

All of this begs the question: should you move in-state to get the sweet in-state deals? If you can convince your parents to move just for your education, I applaud you. But for the most of you, that ain't gonna happen. More likely you will need to take a gap year between high school and college to qualify for residency. Here are some things you need to do if you want to pull this off on your own.