I cant believe my college search began more than three years ago!
Things have changed so much that I don't even know if my advice holds that much water! I did the IB, and there were 40 of us--essentially the same group since 9th grade. I knew I didn't want to go to a large state school, and I also knew I didn't want to go to a really small school. My major (at that time) was Art History/Architecture, and I felt like it was important to be on the East Coast with that major.
I took the SATs and ACTS twice (middle of junior and beginning of senior year), and took the SAT II's (American History, English Language--Literature/Composition, and one other-like I said, details are fuzzy) in the summer before senior year. I also went to an engineering camp for minority students (it was at a school I was minorly interested in and it wasn't too far from home).
I applied to four schools--Brown (early action--they've since changed it), Emory, the College of William and Mary, and the University of Florida Honors Program (as a safety). With the exception of the University of Florida, each of the schools had less than 10,000 total students, had good graduate programs (in case I wanted to extend my education there), were located near larger cities and had decent public transit systems (I wasn't about bringing a car). You know, people say to apply to as many schools as you want, but I don't really agree with that--for one reason, college applications cost A LOT OF MONEY...for those four alone, it was nearly $200. Plus, different schools require different tests--for the schools I applied to, I didn't even need the SAT II. I took them because our college advisor told me to.
I had visited UF plenty of times, and with the way my senior year went, I didn't visit the schools until I had already been accepted, which worked out, because I could schedule visits around vacations and long weekends. I'm not even sure if campus visits are really that important if there's one school you really really really want to go to (which there was). The problem was, I could see myself at ALL of the schools--and still can, after two years of being at Brown. I eventually factored in things like distance, student-teacher interaction, the residential system, quality of programs, and whether or not I really wanted to get advanced standing (which I didn't want), and I feel like I found the school for me.
As for the essay...I ended up writing about my bulletin board and how it had changed since I put it on my wall freshman year of high school--and how it paralelled changes in my life. I had to write others about my specific program of interest, but I think I ended up writing that specific essay a few days before it was due. As long as you make sure it's heartfelt, entertaining, and well-written, it should be okay. Don't pad your resume with useless activities--offices held or activities you spent at least two years doing are probably the most important.
Do any of the schools you're interested in require alumni/admissions/departmental interviews?
Of course, there are other factors I didn't really concern myself with--distance (I knew that I could get home when I wanted/needed, and my parents could get to RI/VA/GA/Gainesville when they wanted/needed), money (that was a parental concern), and (despite what anyone thinks on this board) name. Not saying those three, especially the first two, are not worth concern. They just weren't my concern. Mine were to find a school I could stand studying and living at for four years, and to finish my senior year of high school.
Another thing...don't let anyone else (unless they're paying) influence your decision or criticize the schools you applied to. I had classmates and teachers telling me how I was going to be "corrupted" at Brown, and how I was going to join a cult or some such @#$!. Yeah, Brown is a progressive school, but I haven't been
"corrupted" any more than my friends who went to Christian schools two hours away. I almost fell for their mess, and I am infinitely grateful that I didn't let the ignorance of others influence one of the biggest decisions of my life.
Enjoy your senior year. I know you and all of your friends will be very busy (especially first semester) with college applications and visits and tests, but definitely do the things you did the years before...I remember going through my senior year like, "this is my last Homecoming", or "this is my last service club tea", and making sure I took pictures of EVERYTHING, and I went out ALL THE TIME. Those are memories you just can't get back.
Okay...I apologize for the fact that my jaunt down memory lane was so long-winded.
