Luckily I'll be paying in-state tuition so it won't be nearly as much, especially since I'll probably live at home after my first year. Also UW is not 50k even for out-of-state I don't think, I think it's more like 30k - 35kCongrats! If you happen to attend there then I think you'll enjoy it. One of my friends is a freshman there and she's loving it. Hopefully the price is reasonable for you; UW and similar schools are often 50K a year which is nuts.
I was fortunate enough to get accepted to all the UC schools I applied to: San Diego, Santa Barbara, Irvine, and Los Angeles. I also got regent scholarships at UCI and UCSB. I'm leaning towards those but UCLA would be fantastic if it's affordable. Otherwise I'm waiting to hear from Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford but I really don't expect to get in there. I have other options in small private schools but most are so expensive that even with my award of their maximum merit-based scholarships they aren't looking optimal.
When it comes to receiving "need-based" scholarships, apparently life's not all that easy for the blonde-haired, blue-eyed, middle class, stable household, non-refugee/cancer survivor/rape victim, straight white male. There must be something inherently wrong with my skin color/sexual identity/etc to not be considered for finiancial aid, but try explaining that to the "tolerant" folk who give scholarships to everyone that looks different than me since I'm "privileged". A lot of kids do have serious need, and sadly the kids at my school who have no real issues but are a minority in some way receive the same rewards. Ultimately the money that they "need" (I personally know plenty that don't) comes from my pocket since my tuition is raised to cover for them. This is sort of a rant but I'm not mad, just disappointed that some people still consider social prejudice as much as actual quality. All I want is a fair chance.
If anyone here is freaking out about acceptance, trust me you aren't alone. A lot of my friends, and most of my senior class, is in a panic since their letters/emails are taking forever to come and have been denied from many of their top choices. There's also a lot of pressure from parents (especially those of a few ethnicities) since many have a "UC or we disown you" attitude which is really hard on kids. The reality is that if you work hard and make good connections via friends/businesses/clients/etc, life tends work out. There's always a place in the world for someone that is motivated, organized, and dedicated. My advice is to keep your hope up and try not to stress too much.
Also yeah scholarships can be hard, outside of a few minority-based scholarships though I don't feel like race / sexuality play a huge role? At least if there are gay-only scholarships lmk xD. Mainly I find they either want you to be very low-income, be super community-involved, or be incredibly smart... I'm none of the above so I'm kinda fucked x_x
And also, congrats on your acceptance! That's crazy cool and you should be very proud :) Good prepping / work on your part to have so many great options!