May 20th, 2025 was a celebratory moment for Bronx Science seniors, as many came to school proudly wearing merchandise from the colleges they’ll be attending this fall. After four years of hard work and late nights, students could finally see their futures unfolding—with sweatshirts from Harvard, Stanford, Yale, Princeton, Cornell, and other top universities on display.

This year’s admissions cycle was the most competitive yet, with over 1.2 million students using the Common Application and more than 6 million applications submitted nationwide. As more talented students apply each year, acceptance rates at top colleges continue to drop. Admissions officers now weigh a complex mix of factors—grades, test scores, essays, recommendation letters, and more.

But one of the most pressing concerns for many families is cost. With private colleges averaging over $43,000 a year and public universities also carrying high price tags, middle-class families often find themselves in a tough spot: not qualifying for need-based aid, yet struggling to cover tuition without taking on significant debt.

As someone who just completed the process and has friends heading to top schools, I’m here to offer a guide for middle-class students navigating college admissions with both ambition and strategy.

Making a College List

During the second half of my junior year, I had my first guidance counselor college advisory meeting. We had to provide a drafted college list, which our guidance counselor would use to give feedback and make additional recommendations based on our profile and intended major. With thousands of schools to choose from, where do you even begin?

Before we answer this question we need to ensure that our list is balanced. First, make sure your list is spread evenly: safeties (likely admits), targets (solid chances), and reaches (highly selective). Your guidance counselor can help you categorize each school based on your profile. But how many of each? And when do I apply to them? Kayla Owusu ’25, an incoming freshman at the University of Pennsylvania in the fall of 2025, shared her approach.

“I first had a list of all the colleges I might like to go to, it was about 40 colleges.” Owusu said, “I knew I wanted my list to be very reach-heavy so I picked two safeties that I thought I would definitely get into as well as Macaulay [Honors]. Then I picked my favorite top 10-12, applying to ones I would pay less than 30k a year for.”

This may prompt a few questions. First and foremost, how do you determine which colleges you “like?” Well, there’s plenty of factors to consider. For example, if you don’t like humid weather, you may ditch UC schools for colleges in the Northeast. If you dislike large schools with massive lecture halls, you may choose to apply to smaller liberal arts colleges. If you are looking to minimize cost, apply to schools that offer substantial merit-based aid. For instance, if you’re a political science major, George Washington University is a strong option for both location and scholarships. Use YouTube, school websites, campus visits, and info sessions to refine your list.

Whether or not a school is a reach is typically student dependent, and guidance counselors  typically provide that information. However, Owusu’s reach-heavy list is very strategic, because admissions at schools with under a 15% acceptance rate tend to be random. A student may be rejected from Georgetown which has a 13% acceptance rate, and then admitted to Northwestern, which has a 7% acceptance rate. Therefore, it’s important to maximize your chances when applying to reach schools.

When I asked her if she would have done anything different, Owusu said “Apply to schools earlier, because a lot of schools apparently have scholarships if you apply earlier.” This approach is smart; many colleges have unique opportunities that students are often unaware of because they didn’t take time to research. If you’re part of the middle class, you don’t have the privilege of waiting: start early, and learn as much as you can, so you don’t sell yourself short.

Application Deadlines

For a clueless junior like me, distinguishing between the numerous different college admissions deadlines was a nightmare. Understanding every application deadline a school offers, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of applying to each of them is crucial for developing an effective college application plan.

In general, there are three types of college deadlines: regular decision, early action, and early decision. The majority of the schools you will apply to will be regular decisions, a non-binding deadline typically in early January, with decisions being released in late March. Early action deadlines are in early-mid November, and are non-binding deadlines with decisions released in December or January. Many state schools have early action deadlines, as well as a select few T-20 schools.

Early decision (ED) is where things get precarious. Early decision is a binding November 1st deadline typically reserved for students’ first choices. In other words, if a student is admitted through early decision, they are obligated to go. The advantage of early decision is that students are considered among a smaller pool of applicants– schools such as UChicago will admit large portions of their students from early decision. For example, almost three quarters of Bronx Science admits to University of Chicago have been through Early Decision. The disadvantage is ED gives you little room to ensure you receive the best financial package possible.

Many middle class students find themselves in the same situation: they are afraid to ED to their top choice for fear of an underwhelming financial package. Most private schools have net price calculators that estimate your financial aid. If the estimate suggests the cost is manageable, ED might be worth it. If not, consider EA or Restrictive Early Action (REA), which limits where else you can apply early, but it doesn’t bind you to attend. Flexibility is key when financial aid is uncertain—don’t sacrifice it by applying ED unless you’re sure.

Writing College Essays

So, we have our college list and our admissions plan. Now we must talk about what is, in my opinion, the most difficult part of college apps: essay writing. The basic premise of essay writing is simple, it’s a way for admissions officers to learn about their applicants and the impacts they have made in their communities. Unfortunately, many seniors when writing essays undergo a similar thought process. “Who even am I?” “My life isn’t that exciting.” “How do I introduce myself in a 650 word essay?”  

The main essay is the Common App personal statement. It’s one of the longest, most important pieces, and it’s sent to nearly every school you apply to. Additionally, many colleges have supplemental essays that dig deeper into specific aspects of your personality, goals, or values.

To help break it down, I talked to Le Wang ’25, an incoming freshman at the University of Chicago, a school known for its intriguing essay prompts. His advice?

“Start thinking about [your essays] as early as possible and start drafting as soon as possible. I mean like, immediately. No one writes a perfect draft on their first attempt, and sometimes it takes dozens of tries to find the essay that works for you…. You need to draft to get all the cliché stuff out of the way and find the meat of what you want for your essays. I would say 90% of the process is thinking about writing, 10% is actually writing it.”

Even though brainstorming can be difficult, there are ways to make this process a little easier. One of the best ways is to freewrite. The Common Application releases several prompts every year to help guide students in their writing, so freewriting to each of them for 10-15 minutes is a great way to get ideas onto a paper. Not every common app needs to be about a tremendous accomplishment or a story of overcoming trauma; it just needs to capture a student’s essence.

One of my teachers once said, “There are no bad topics, only bad writing.” That’s mostly true—but try to avoid overused themes like sports injuries, relationship drama, or trauma-dumping unless your insight is truly unique. Essays about other people can work, but are challenging to execute, because you are applying to college and they aren’t. Spending multiple sentences singing the praises of someone doesn’t give the admissions committee a reason to accept you.

One of the more underrated essay topics is media. These essays not only can display qualities such as emotional maturity and media literacy, but also provide a window into how a student reacts to different emotions and circumstances. The only real pitfall students face is using too many words summarizing a plot. Students should also avoid talking about mainstream media, such as Harry Potter or Star Wars, because it’s difficult to bring unique insight to media that has been discussed to such ends.

So you have your essay topics, how should people edit them? Your first draft is reflection, where you answer the question to the best of your ability. The first editor makes sense of the idea you have presented; this is where essays are rearranged, dramatically changed, or outright scrapped. The second person refines the essay, making the main idea and take-away shine. The third editor makes stylistic adjustments, ensuring the essay flows with rhythm. The final edit involves proofreading. They ensure words are spelled correctly, proper nouns are capitalized, and there are spaces between every word.

You don’t need four editors, but you should go through all four stages. Too many content-based opinions can dilute your voice, so keep your feedback circle small and focused.

In the end, your essay isn’t about impressing admissions officers with the most dramatic story. It’s about being real, being clear, and helping them understand the person behind the application.

Merit Scholarships

Merit scholarships are one of the most effective ways to reduce the cost of college, especially for middle-class students who may not qualify for need-based financial aid. These scholarships are awarded based on a student’s academic, extracurricular, or leadership achievements—rather than financial need—and can come directly from colleges and third-party organizations.

To take full advantage of merit scholarships, students must start researching early—ideally by the end of junior year. Many competitive scholarships have early deadlines, and some require additional essays, recommendation letters, or interviews. By beginning the process early, students can identify scholarships they’re eligible for and ensure they meet all requirements on time.

It’s also important to understand that the larger the scholarship, the more competitive it tends to be. National scholarships like the Coca-Cola Scholarship, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Scholarship, and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Scholarship (which awards up to $40,000) attract thousands of applicants and have rigorous selection processes. These awards are excellent opportunities, but they should be seen as bonus funding, not the primary way to pay for college.

Instead, students should use merit scholarships to supplement other funding sources such as savings, in-state tuition benefits, institutional aid, and work-study. Think of these scholarships as a final puzzle piece to close any remaining gap in your college fund, not as the entire plan.

Additionally, many colleges themselves offer merit-based aid, especially to out-of-state or high-achieving students. Schools like the University of Alabama, Tulane University, and Boston University have generous merit programs for students who stand out academically. Be sure to check each college’s financial aid page and use scholarship search engines like Scholarships.com, Going Merry, or Fastweb to find opportunities that match your profile.

Conclusion

The college admissions process is overwhelming, especially for middle-class students. But with the right strategy, careful planning, and early research, students can navigate this process successfully while minimizing student debt.

Whether it’s crafting a balanced college list, understanding financial aid and application deadlines, or applying for merit scholarships, the key is to stay informed and proactive. Start early, ask questions, and don’t be afraid to reach out for help. College is a major investment, but with the right approach, it’s one that can pay off without putting your financial future at risk.

To the juniors just beginning their journey — take a breath. I know it feels overwhelming right now, but trust me, you’re not alone. We’ve all been there, unsure and a little scared. Lean on each other, ask questions, and know that it gets better. You’ll grow more than you can imagine.

And to the Class of 2025 — walking through the halls of Bronx Science in your college gear, we did it. Every late night, every moment of doubt, every small win — it all brought us here. I’m proud of us. Let’s keep showing the ones who come after us what’s possible.

To the juniors just beginning their journey — take a breath. I know it feels overwhelming right now, but trust me, you’re not alone. We’ve all been there, unsure and a little scared. Lean on each other, ask questions, and know that it gets better. You’ll grow more than you can imagine.