@ucbalumnus - thanks, yes, I am aware, and our residency in PA frustrates me daily. 
He has Princeton as his dream school, and also likes some other selective LACS that have major competitive scholarships, but I’m also pushing Bama and Arizona and UNM - the usual suspects. My D19 got full tuition at a not-selective safety, and that’s where she went. She’d be happy as a clam there right now, except for covid, which has upended everyone, it seems, and not for the better.
I do not know the HS college counselors’ range of experience yet, but tbh, I have learned not to expect them to be familiar with the economic situation of their students’ families. They generally are working on educational matches only. If they’re knowledgable about big merit and his chances there, I’ll be thrilled. I will find out more when we have one-on-one meetings later this year.
@bookworm No STEM focus: My kid wants to go to law school/run the world. He’s just asked my husband if he has a copy of The Communist Manifesto; he wanted some light reading, I guess, lol. Very passionate about the state of the world, etc.
No, he has not by any means exhausted his school’s opportunities, another reason I am dubious about this idea.
@aquapt I just broached the study-abroad option with him and he said, “Well, put it on the list, but if I get there and I don’t like it more, then it would be a significant problem.”
Sigh. I think we need to work on his perspective, outlook, and actual goals right now.
Regular meeting with his adviser is Friday so we’ll see what that produces.