Why do people choose debt over community college?

I hear about people who are in the “too rich for financial aid, too poor to afford college” situation. Rather than starting out at community college to save money, some of these people go straight to a four-year college (possibly needing to cover living expenses too). It’s not uncommon for someone like this to graduate $60-100k+ in student loan debt. Why do some people go into additional or avoidable debt rather than start at community college?