I think it was on Bloomberg where they said Americans have more debt from student loans than credit cards, so you're not alone.

I guess it all depends on what you plan on doing after college. If you want some big corporate gig, then the name (school) on the paper (degree) will mean a lot more.

I would look into a community type college because of costs, but preferably one which includes an internship period. This is what I did and was offered a job after completing school at the place I did the internship.