@Dungareedoll I stand by my comments. Here on this site and at almost all the info sessions I give on behalf of my alma mater, i run across people who are clearly fetishizing school X, Y or Z – an outsized glorification.
The OP started another thread entitled “I can’t see myself going anywhere but Stanford.” That and this thread are red flags. Thus my hard tone (“grotesque”) with the poster – to hopefully avert him/her from this path. Ask your son his opinion of a 16 or 17 year old who public declares such a thing.
Yes Stanford is a dream. My long term GF graduated from Stanford and I can fully understand your son’s opinion. I spent lots of time there – its weather sure beat my New England school! But the legions of starry eyed high schoolers – is cringeworthy as @googledrone said.
If the OP is otherwise qualified, I hope he/she applies and gets accepted. But this idolization is immature, IMHO.