• Don't waste time on lots of college trips.  Research schools online instead.  Your time is valuable.  Just think, in the time that you spend on one college visit, you could have studied for and possibly tested out of a basic college class, saving yourself so much money and time.  Many schools have e-tours available online where you can see video tours of the campus.

• Don't get hung up on one school.  Let the dream change.  Explore.  Ask questions that matter.  And consider whether the answers to those questions confirms or casts in doubt your prior opinion.  Tunnel vision is bad.

• Weigh how much you like a school against both its cost and the expected return on your investment.  Anyone who tells you to forget the bottom line while making a college decision is either way rich or completely stupid.  Money really is a valid consideration for most people.  It can also indicate how much a college cares about you.

• You don't need to know that a special college would have taken you unless you intend to go there.  Do you need to apply someplace just to be told, yes, you are good enough, or the statistically more likely, uh, no, sorry?  Take all the money you'll save on needless applications, and spend it on something you'll really enjoy (I bought my first Coach purse.)  Apply for the dream only if you have an intent to attend if accepted.  Research up front and you can delete many schools you threw on a list. I applied to three and that was plenty for me.  No regrets.

• Remember the possibility of merit scholarships at both state and private universities.  Remember that public universities in your state might have nationally recognized programs that are quite a bargain, especially after a merit scholarship.  Google top schools in your areas of interest.  Private schools are another hidden value.  If a private college is highly performing in your area of interest, and they offer great merit scholarships, that seems like a bargain to me. 
  
• Now here's a thought: Be thoughtful and honest.  Since sincerity is very difficult to mass produce, you should be able to count your applications on one hand.  If you spend a lot of time on a few applications, the quality of each will improve, and you'll have a better chance of being accepted to the schools you actually care about.  Just think, if you were reading stacks of apps, wouldn't you reject those generic-sounding apps right away?

Good Luck!