Best course of action?

I think you need to have a sit down with your parents about your plan because if you are upper middle class, you may find that NONE of your options are affordable. The private schools have a Net Price Calculator and you and your parents can put your data in and get an estimate. Since you haven’t done that, you are at risk of having nothing.

You might consider University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University in Canada. Those public schools are cheaper than US schools, and if I’m not mistaken, your tuition is fixed by the year you enter. It doesn’t rise every year. Canadian degrees are also more focused which may or may not appeal to you.