@uwalummom We have visited quite a few colleges (too many to name!), including some to which my son did not end up applying. It helped to get an early start on the visits, beginning in the fall of his junior year.
Some of the other schools he has applied to are Minnesota, Purdue, UIUC, and Marquette. He is now (at the VERY last minute) working on his UW-Madison application. He was never interested in being too close to home, but it’s so highly ranked in his intended major (and so inexpensive) that in the end it seemed foolish not to apply.
Don’t be so sure that UW-Madison and UMN are out of reach! I believe that the selectivity of these schools is overestimated. Madison accepts ~50% of applicants, and I think UMN is similar. Many kids at my son’s high school think they don’t have a chance at UW if they’re not in the top 10-15% of their class, but this really is not the case. At Minnesota, I think it really depends on which college one is applying to, as some are more selective than others. There are some very good schools in the UW system, though. I get the impression that LaCrosse is on the rise!
You’re right that ISU pushes applying for housing early. (They are growing quickly and housing is in demand.) However, they stressed that even if you do accept your offer and apply for housing, you will get all but $35 back if you withdraw your acceptance before May 1. It probably isn’t wise, but my son still hasn’t done this, because he is kicking too many schools around and is still waiting for a few decisions.