Am I really ready for the college experience

If your dream school has a website, I would find the place on their site where you can request information (this puts you on their mailing list and shows your interest). I would also find out some things they prioritize in their students. And remember it's not the end of the world if you don't get into your dream school! There's dozens of amazing programs out there.

If you find yourself wanting to switch majors when you're in college, you can, so you don't need to 100% worry about that, since if you wanted to switch, you would probably figure that out freshman or sophomore year of college.

Don't stress yourself out about college too much. You have tons of time to think about this stuff!

im in the same boat, too. i like to think that colleges that i want to get into are statisically impossible. im more of a numbers type of person. so knowing that a certain college's acceptance rate is really low gives me peace of mind. i always look at class profiles for colleges im dying to get into. helps me better understand what's needed of me. i try to take it one year at a time. my sorta baseline motto thing(no idea how to explain it) keep that gpa high and continue doing extracurrics i enjoy.

Wow, great question! While it's definitely not too early to start thinking about college, it makes perfect sense that you don't necessarily feel ready for the college experience just yet. First of all, I wouldn't worry about a dream school right now. Even if you don't get into your dream school the first time around (or you do get in, but then decide you want something else), you can always transfer. Rather, I'd start identifying the kinds of schools you might like. You can do this by visiting schools, attending online information sessions (we offer them them here at Collegevine!), watching Youtube college vlogs, and more. You should also focus on getting good grades in school, on narrowing down the majors you might like to pursue in college, and in building up your extracurricular activities. In particular, you'll want to develop a spike (an area comprised of a few activities and also possibly some classes in which you can demonstrate substantial achievement). Best of luck!