Live your life moving forward. Don’t look back. Good to get it out. Wherever you end up in college try the things you want to try.
Someone said further up that the OP could have made different choices, we don’t know that. Maybe these were choices made or influenced by well intentioned parents.
You’ve got the rest of your life ahead of you. It’s going to suck at times but other times it’s going to amazing. Hang in there and good luck.
Class of '21 here. I sympathize. I also spent two years stressing about the wishes of colleges and ignoring my own health and desires. The college environment is actually part of what helped me change and blossom, along with family and professional help. I’m still in HS but in early college at a CC and the impact on me has been incredible. I know it will be even more profound for you at a 4-year, residential school.
I’m a different person with different ECs now and if that defeats my chances for T20’s then so be it! If there are any current high schoolers here, I urge you to think the same way so long as you are still working hard in general.
High school is rough and I am glad to have left it behind. Nomood, I have no doubt you will go to a great school and be enriched by the people there.
In the meantime, respect your mental health and recognize you have a long time ahead of you to be you. 
Don’t let the pressure to “get over it” penetrate though- take your time processing this but allow yourself quite a few carefree moments as well.
@MWolf no, I don’t want to major in marine biology, I just wanted to take the class because I like the ocean and I liked the teacher.
Too bad - I’m an ecologist so I get all excited when students are interested in things like marine biology.
But the main point still stands - you have an excellent profile, and I expect that you’ll have acceptances to a good number of colleges at which you’ll be able to pursue the type of education in the type of environment where you will be happy…
Again, good luck
My first comment in this thread was more truthful than harsh. I suspect that if OP had made different decisions that she would be experiencing similiar feelings of regret now.
“Real insight” ? OP wrote: “I wish I had taken Regular English instead of AP English”.
Additionally, OP wishes that she had taken different courses which should be available to her in college or in a summer program.
Life is about choices. I think that it is horrible to see such a young person focusing on regret.
What next ? Regret about not applying to her “dream school” Columbia ?
All of this is or was completely within her control. There are multiple resources advising high school students to pursue their passion.
OP: Life gets much tougher than this. What will you do when you actually have to choose a college ? Choose a major ? Choose a career path ? Choose a mate ? Regret is not the answer, nor is it an insight.
To add further context:
OP wrote:
“I just finished and submitted and payed for my Stanford early app.”
Followed by:
“I wish I took Regular English instead of AP English.”
“I wish I quit volunteering at that place earlier.”
Regrets attending “expensive summer camps”.
Yet her “dream schools” are Stanford & Columbia.
If your own kid came to you and said they wanted to take Regular English instead of AP English how would that work out?
In an environment where colleges want to see that you have taken the most rigorous courses available to you, challenged yourself, pushed yourself, I’m not really sure bright kids have much of a choice but to take the AP class.
Not relevant. And OP did not do that.
But if I had a child who wanted to attend Stanford or Columbia, I would explain that that is an unrealistic goal for one who cannot tolerate high school AP English.
Of course, my initial reaction would be to ask: “Why?”.
@Jon234 If that question was directed at me, then I would let my kid take regular English instead of AP English. No question.
Short term relief at the expense of a long-term goal.
@nomood: That is fine, but you have to realize that there are consequences. Would you then let the same child believe that attending Stanford University or Columbia University are realistic goals ?
It was for Publisher.
Maybe the OP had that conversation with their parents and arrived at the conclusion that they had to take AP to achieve their goal?
I don’t see anything in their post that says they haven’t tolerated it. There’s a massive difference between tolerate and enjoy.
“And OP did not do that” How do we know? Yes, I’m speculating, based on conversations with my own kids and their course choices. Based on the information provided by the OP we don’t know if class choices were solely their choice or if the parents had input.
@Jon234: OP’s original post in this thread repeatedly uses “I” did this or “I” did that. No indication that she was forced to do so.
Regardless, I think that it is incredibly sad to see a 17 or 18 year old focused on regrets & unrealistic expectations.
If you were to ask my kids what classes they opted to take I think they would respond “I” did this and “I” did that. But, rest assured we had those conversations at home though, you know the ones. " Remember what they said at Brown? We want to see that you’re challenging yourself, taking the most rigorous classes…"
Your initial post is factually correct. Some of us find it harsh when addressed to a child at such a stressful time in their life.
“Regardless, I think that it is incredibly sad to see a 17 or 18 year old focused on regrets & unrealistic expectations.”
It is.
OP, for what it’s worth, my eldest hated the last two years of high school, she’s loving college. She finds the work easier and more rewarding than all those AP classes she took in order to get there.
A post like this makes me ruefully reflect again about today’s college admissions culture that we live in. This isn’t the first confessional about an applicant’s compromising one’s natural inclinations and desires for the sake of earning a coveted spot in a highly selective school. I see it happening everywhere all around us, kids and their families doing things not out of their own sense of personal fulfillment but toward admissions goals. But one doesn’t have to compromise in order to accomplish these goals. In fact, I truly believe that those who are successful are the ones who followed their natural inclinations to the fullest, not the ones who devoted their times to resume padding. What are the likely chances of being successful or even productive when the preparations to get there are miserable?
I give the OP lots of credit for at least recognizing and acknowledging the importance of making decisions for oneself. This self-knowledge, I’m sure, will serve the OP well in future endeavors.
My D is definitely in the “high school sucks and I wouldn’t do this again if I had the choice camp”. However, the part she can control: ECs, relationships, and community activism are the parts she loves. However, from the beginning of freshman year until the end of junior year she studied for tests non-stop. If you want to be in the top tier you have to study for the PSAT (soph and junior years), SAT (she took 2 times and went with ACT), ACT (she took 4 times), SAT IIs (she took 3), APs (she had 10 before this year, 8 this year), and still keep up with classwork. Her school is a public city school that does not have the rigor to support AP tests. To do well she had to self-teach for most of her AP exams.
That’s her regret. It’s the constant pressure of tests. Unless you’re a prodigy those need to be studied to be competitive and perfected. So yes, you can alter a course or two. You can take band and forgo the higher ranked class. I think those types of choices will not change your chances, but the work has to be put in for all the tests. I don’t see a lot of “choice” in that prospect. That is the source of my daughter’s potential regret. Potential being if she doesn’t get into one of her top 5 schools. Just my take.
These schools are so hyper-competitive, that it requires unrealistic expectations in order to be competitive. The kind of things these kids “checklist” themselves with would easily drive emotionally mature adults to their breaking point. These are 17 year old kids! It’s gotten toxic. When you see the actual pool of applications these colleges have to sift through and how completely identical they are, you see just how much of the application process is just dumb luck.
@isla701 thanks for the kind words - it’s nice to know that there is life outside school.
@Jon234 my parents and guidance counselor helped me choose my classes. I don’t know any of my friends who just chose their own classes with no other input.
@TiggerDad thanks for the support!
@LookAtMyShoes I know that work has to be put into those tests, and I also agree with you that there’s too much pressure. It’s not really the tests I’m frustrated about though, I only took the sat twice, it’s everything else.
@coolguy40 completely agree.
As cliche as it may sound, it’s better you had this breakdown now than later when you’re nearing graduation of a degree you never wanted in the first place. If there’s anything I’ve learned as someone who took forever to change their major and who is also still figuring it out, you truly have to pay attention to your inner instincts. You’re not alone in the fact that you made these decisions to be “practical” and “smart” about the future but without fail, if you’re not doing what you love and you’re doing what you can tolerate for shallow reasons then your future will suffer. You have to dig deep (spend time with yourself - don’t be afraid of being “alone” when that’s what you need to figure things out), try new things that interest you, continue with interests that you like, do research as to what careers might excite you, meet people who you admire, watdch Youtube/Ted Talks, etc. It’s so easy to get lost in what everyone wants for you but at the end of the day you’re the one in charge of making the decisions best for you. High school sometimes prevents kids from thinking out of the box and that a happy life can only be achieved this way or that way. Don’t get me wrong, stability and being able to support yourself in the future is incredibly important. But so is doing what you love and being happy with the person you’re becoming.