The estimated budget page gives high estimates so that you can be on the safe side and not end up borrowing too little.
$22,000 for living expenses, if you are single and share an apartment with someone else, is a pretty high estimate. You should be able to keep everything in check at $1500 month (you could make this way lower depending on frugality, but $1500 is very comfortable) for all your expenses, and that would come out to $18,000 for the year, and you can always work during the summer to not have to take out that full amount.
If your parents have health insurance, you can stay on it until you're 26, which covers all of school for most people, so that knocks off that $3200 charge.
Loupes will not cost you the $3,000 on the estimates page. Mine with the light and everything were $1400 or so.
Instrument purchase is what it is; you get a kit they order for you so it's nice not to worry about finding things on your own, and it's just the price they give. Same thing with the laptop. You do not need to purchase a single book, so that's $900 more off your cost.
So from some quick math your cost of attendance should be a little less than $10,000 lower than the page provides, depending on your state of residency. So, in-state total amount borrowed, if you are paying all of your tuition and living expenses out of pocket, should be about $61,000 according to that page. You should also remember the New England tuition rate for your first year if you are from New England but not CT, and the fact that people from all 50 states get in state tuition for their final three years provided they register to vote/change their driver's license.
Hope this helps!
