what did i learn over this timeframe of investigation?

I learned a lot about my college expectations and what would fit me best. One of the biggest things I learned about myself (not just with school research but also just with senior year) is that I've hit my wall. I have finally hit the part of my education that I actually have to apply myself for and put in effort. I've had a lot of things slap me in the face over the past few months, and I've had to learn how to cope with rejection and break-ups and fallouts and juggling things in my life with little to no time to prepare. 

Being turned down by my top college because of less-than-stellar math grades this year and last has been a huge indicator of how I have to improve on myself. And because of that rejection, I'm still stuck in Ohio. But eventually I'll get out, because I have so much going for me at this moment. My goals aren't unrealistic, which is the biggest motivator to finally get my academics buckled down completely. I've hanged a lot as a person since I first started this research, but the majority over the summer and throughout the schoolyear has helped me realize what kind of person I am and what college accomodations will prove to be the most efficient. 

But, I've certainly improved since senior year officially started. I've had to pay for most of my senior pictures and any repairs to my vehicle. It's certainly helped me prepare for the real world, not just for college, but it's also given me a taste of managing money by myself, something that I'll certainly be doing for school, and helped me come to the decision that whichever school is least expensive that gives me what I need is the best choice. This project was more of just a words-on-paper version of knowledge I had already gathered, so I didn't have to go out of my way to accomplish my capstone. It's not necessarily a waste of time, really, but I would've much rather spent my time doing something else. I wouldn't have done it another way, except maybe to have visited every campus and done a video review, but that takes an excessive amount of time and money that can't be spared as a high school senior.