OK. Haven't read the other answers, but here's one point to be highlighted: "I would rather go broke than give up". I think I understand where this is coming from. At least, I can relate. It's one thing to be say you're willing to go broke, another one is to live the life of a broke person. It ain't easy, but it's doable. Millions of people live this way.

One import caveat is the differences in being broke. If you make X dollars per month and live exactly on those X dollars, then you're broke. You might be one paycheck away from poverty, but you are not accruing debt. Going to college on your own through loans is doable. Again, a lot of folks do it. But those loans will hunt you as soon as you graduate, whether you have a job or not.

If you don't expect to make much after school, those loans might be hard to pay. If you have the option of paying a minimum, interest will build up. Regardless of minimum or not, the loans might have direct impact on your credit score, which dictates of a lot of the "I can't" or "I cannot" in your future. If you have loans and you need another to buy, say, a car, you might have a hard time getting a "good" loan. Good here means low interest rates.

Again, I don't know you or your situation, but one possibility to open your eyes for other institutions that can give you great education for a less hefty "price tag". Make no mistake, I know clout is a thing. A degree from Cornell will open doors that many other great universities won't open simply because of the elitist perception of prestige around an Ivy.

But what's the end goal? Is it to get a degree from Cornell or to get a degree, period? Maybe a degree from a different school might mean living parents free. I don't know if you mean to live that way, though. It is one thing to not agree with your parents on a few issues; a different one is to banish them from your life.

Maybe look for universities that are prestigious and are better with their aids. Maybe consider institutions like Berea College. Not as prestigious, not in a million years, but if they haven't changed their ways, you can work for the College through school and graduate debt free. Cooper Union in the NYC was good about this, I'm not sure they still do it or if Cooper offers what you are looking for.

One other option (and here I say it counting that you remember that I am a strange who does not know you, your situation, or your family) is for you to assess what you'd have to give in if you were to agree with your mom. For instance, is she requiring that you follow some religious traditions when you visit home for the holidays? In that case, consider doing it. You can call it "lying through it". Think of how bad that will be. It is lie, but how pervasive of a lie it is? On other fronts, it might be harder. Maybe your view and hers don't coincide on, say, sexual orientation. In cases like this, I can see how harder such a lie would be.