<p>As a fellow parent, I don’t have issues with floridadad55 being involved in his son’s application to college. In fact, I think it’s quite appropriate and I applaud his efforts.</p>
<p>I do, however, take issue with his statement “Does he have any shots at the Ivies, and if so, which ones?” He, and possibly his son, are naively assuming that all Ivies are the same. It implies that the student and parent have not done enough research about the schools themselves and are only picking colleges based upon rankings. To wit: Columbia (with its core curriculum) and Brown (with its open curriculum) are complete polar opposites, even though both play in the same athletic conference. A student who feels at home at one, may not be happy at the other. </p>
<p>What matters most is “fit” – and fit cannot be found from among the rankings of US News.</p>