<p>First - did a post get deleted? From someone named Isabelle? I miss EVERYTHING:)
Second - I told my friend about the concerns about our friendship and she laughed. Believe me, she’ll do what she sees fit. I am advising, not consulting.
Third - Here’s what my friend’s boy’s list will look like.</p>
<ol>
<li>An EA reach because better not to regret trying. In full understanding of the chances. Might be Dartmouth, might be Carleton. </li>
<li>State schools in his two home states.</li>
<li>~ 5 schools in the nicely put, "The OP’s “target” (or low reach) schools, in my opinion, fall roughly in the 20-40 national universities range (CMU, Tufts, BC, Rochester, CWRU, Lehigh) </li>
<li>~5 schools in the also well put, “or a little higher than that, say 15-35, for national LACs (such as Wesleyan, Bates, Colgate, Richmond).” </li>
<li>Might throw one more crapshoot app in there just because.</li>
</ol>
<p>Fourth - My friend is looking into counselors, for the essay support.</p>
<p>Also, I probably FAILED to brand my kids into school. I do come from privilege and am a Princeton alum (see my blog title:)), but am also a Northern California quasi-hippie from way back. I sent the kids first to a progressive grammar school where the afternoon curriculum included pottery, woodshop, and weaving, then to a Catholic high school known for extreme liberalism.</p>
<p>While I might have liked to have packaged my children, my culture forbade it.</p>
<p>Dang. Sorry I can’t find that comment. I haven’t had a good Internet flaming in a while;).</p>