Now that I have finished my college application process I can identify what I did well, and what I did poorly.
If I could go back and change what I did I would have started much earlier, in the summer. At this time I had a lot of time and could've easily completed most of the UC application there however I procrastinated till the last month in which I had a lot on my plate to complete. I furthermore believe the quality of my essays could've increased had I started writing them earlier as I could revised them more and talked to more people about them.
If any future-senior is reading this I would recommend they find a few schools they want to go to and work really hard on the applications and start early and not stress so much about the process.
One facet of the process I believe I did well is in regards to the mindset. I only applied to a few colleges because there were only a few colleges I actually wanted to go. Furthermore, I know that if I get rejected I could easily just go to Santa Monica College and transfer back to one of my top choices. In this way I eliminate a lot of unnecessary decisions and work.
What is exciting about college is that I will be able to have a lot more freedom in regards to the classes I choose and also I will get to meet a lot of knew people and have amazing professors.