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Thoughts for those who are starting down this road...I have a senior and a soph. Senior is likely to do pretty well in admissions. Sophomore has a tougher academic program and has some interests, but is not narrowly focused.
I am starting NOW to talk to my soph about colleges that might be up his alley. He's been on enough tours with his brother to know what he doesn't want. These chats and the visits also serve to give DS2 some motivation.
He's much more interested in the "full" college experience than his older brother and wants to spend time abroad (both for study and a semester to travel). He's the classic Bright Well-Rounded Kid. We've talked about how he can use his AP/IB credits to enable him to take a semester to travel and still graduate in four years, and schools that would support that (vs. schools that don't give much credit). There are actually a couple of schools where DS1 and DS2 might overlap, though for VERY different reasons. DS2 might also want to play football, and he knows that getting a chance to play means setting one's sights accordingly (he's looking at DIII).
Different kids, different needs. DH went to an Ivy and DH's brother went to a SUNY; worked out quite well for both of them. (Since each paid his own way, there weren't issues of parental finances coming into play.)
Someone in a parenting class told me long ago, "What's fair does not mean what's equal." Same thing applies here. A younger sibling may have no interest in following a successful sibling. Time for the younger one to fly, on his/her own terms.
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