Are CA schools still relatively insanely cheap instate as opposed to out of state?

Relatively. Berkeley lists Undergraduate total costs (including room and board) for a year at just over 23K for residents, and 41K for non-residents.

for a year at just over 23K for residents, and 41K for non-residents.

Jeebus! I've been hearing about how costs have been going up here in MD (big ruckus about it) but I hadn't realized they were at that level everywhere. $20k range sounds like what we were looking at for a nonresident, oh, in 1993. I should look up my alma mater and see what their tuition and board are now. I got lucky with scholarships and grants and my parents' savings, so no loans. I doubt we could have accomplished that now, even with my parents better finances now.

eta: in truth, I need to get my life together. Ah well.

As with so many things, there is no "get my life together." There's just doing a whole bunch of individual things. Do one maybe.

I can't help myself: Today's Homicide has Julianna Margulies AND Dr. Burke!!

Are CA schools still relatively insanely cheap instate as opposed to out of state?

Yes. See. come live here.

sarameg, it's a little misleading, because those estimates are on the high end for living costs. Tution for an in-state resident is $7434, and out-of-state is $17,820. See the numbers here.

Just checked out the University of Alaska Fairbanks (where I went). They break it down rather much, but the average appears to be a little under $10K for Alaska residents and a little over $17K for non-residents.* Go Nanooks! It may be freezing cold, but at least it's cheap.

* Including room and board but not including "health insurance, books, supplies, transportation, parking, miscellaneous expenses or special costs associated with international or exchange students." I thought they usually included books and supplies in these estimates. Hmm.

There's the rub.

Good god. I think all told, my school is $10-15K more than when I was there. I still can't believe the rental rates for the student apartments. 4 people/apt at almost $800 each. For a 4 bedroom + 1 bath, kitchen, lr. In a market where you could get a studio for $400. A racket. And it was a pain to get permission to be off campus. (There was a req to live on-campus the first couple of years, with very few exceptions, unless you were an adult student or had a kid or something like that.)

What Jesse said, sara. I know nothing of this "get my life together" I know of doing things though. You might wanna make a list and send it to me. We can "work on it together". I might even stop pinching your cheeks.

I am reminded of the fact that my 12 months of library school tuition (out of state) cost me more than the total of 3 years of law school tuition (in state).