EDIT: Thank you guys for all your help and input. I'm going to art school.

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Or something safer?

I need to decide whether I want to go to art school or a regular state college. I've asked my friend in the art school a lot, and she was really helpful (Love ya, ~ksilver!), and I've done a good deal of research. I've thought about it so much that everything's a huddled mess in my brain; I now have moments of idealistic elation as well as moments of extreme uneasiness when I think about my future. In my last attempts at rational thinking, I made a list of personal pros and cons.

I want to pursue a career as an illustrator, but I'm worried about future financial problems.

Maybe you guys can help me with experience or from what you've heard? Add your own pros and cons, or clarify mistakes I may have made in my own views? Or just panic with me because you're in the same situation as me? I'd really appreciate all the input I can get. :>

Ignoring costs and basing this on personal hopes and external concerns from family and friends (apparently, it's all in worse-case scenarios?):

Regular State College:
Cons
-Less time for drawing/honing skills
-Less credibility as an artist
-Will be average in all aspects of education
-Less starting passion
-High school peers will all be there, not a fresh start
-Constantly thinking of "what could have been"
-Still won't be independent from parents
-Don't know what to major in
-Might end up in well-paying job (that takes up a lot of time and kills self-worth D: )
Pros
-If all endeavors in professional art fail, at least have a webcomic
-Was accepted into an honors program
-Have a backup in case art doesn't work out
-Could first start out working, and then save up enough to test out art career
-Liberal arts education definitely more broad
-Safe choice
-More time to think about career choices
-May go to law school if art career fails (monetary motivation, parents will completely support orz)
-May end up loving another career choice more than art

Art School:
Cons
-A lot of hard work for little money in the future
-A waste of high GPA and all advanced classes I took in high school?
-Health/insurance/retirement will be a constant worry
-May end up hating art in the future, but will be stuck in it because I'd have no degree in anything else. D:
-Will meet a lot of flakey employers and uneasy periods of unemployment in the future
-Pay probably won't increase much throughout career
-Serious blow to self-confidence in own abilities when submerged in the job market
-Not sure about own determination/abilities
-Will probably think about money all the time, ugh
Pros
-Inclined toward majoring in Illustration
-Desire to persevere will be much higher
-Will definitely improve own abilities
-Will start career with connections from peers and teachers
-Make money off of own creations
-Getting published/Making own graphic novels
-Fame through own work (eventually)
-Not the typical job I'd get bored with
-Fulfilled career, do what I've ALWAYS wanted to do
-Taking the most exciting risk of my uneventful life OTL

Thanks for reading. :'D Seriously, thank you, you all who probably have better things to do than listen to my insecurities. OTL OTL