A few comments:
If the second language is a native language, again admissions officers won’t be impressed. by a high AP score. I think you are spending your time on the wrong things – but it is your time to spend I guess.
Have you asked your guidance counselor how he/she would rate the rigor of your schedule? If he/she would say “most rigorous” then you are fine, if you won’t get that designation it is unlikely that a few self-study/online APs will make a difference for the hyper-competitive colleges.
If you think only a top tier college will make you feel “fulfilled” then IMO you should seriously rethink your criteria for being fulfilled.
–Even perfect grades, top rigor, great ECs is no guarantee of admission to an elite college. Simply put there are many more well qualified students than there are spots available.
–Of course it is fine to apply to some elite colleges and give those applications your all but don’t make getting in the “be all and end all” of your life.
–The people I see get most hurt through the college admissions process are the students who focus only on a couple of hyper-competitive colleges and then don’t get in. Please do not fall into that trap.
–Are you really going to allow a few college admissions officers who will look at your application for 10 minutes each determine your level of “fulfillment”?
–The idea that you can only be “fulfilled” at a few colleges is simply not true (unless you decide to make it a self-fulfilling prophecy) . There are so many amazing colleges and universities out there. Do the work to find them. Get your hands on some good college guide books (ex. Fiske, Princeton Review etc. ) and start doing some real research. Find match and safety schools you would love to attend.
–FWIW my D went to a wonderful (but not top few) LAC and she had a happier, more fulfilling 4 years (fantastic education, published research, great friends,close relationships with professors, deeply involved in ECs) than many of her friends at Ivy and equivalent institutions. (And she ended up at an Ivy for grad school to boot!)