re: Did anyone here take out loans to go to college?

Yep. I went to college prior to TOPs. I graduated high school with honors, had a great gpa and ACT score, but got zero scholarship offers for all that hard work I did in school. It was pretty common back then for good students to not be awarded scholarships, particularly if you were white. I had to take out loans for all four years I was in school. Paid them all off eight years after I graduated. So I'm living proof you can attend and graduate from college without scholarships.

TOPs started a few years after I graduated college. I couldn't believe how easy it was to qualify for a TOPs scholarship. Kids are basically being rewarded for being mediocre students.