<p>mazewanderer - Also, don’t forget a large percentage of Caltech graduates go to graduate schools.</p>
<p>I agree with your wife. The point of applying to elite colleges/universities is not to get in everywhere, but to get in somewhere. That your son has achieved. There are many great places to get an education and it sounds as if he’s very well suited for CalTech.</p>
<p>Apologies for not having read through the entire thread…</p>
<p>Your son is seriously interested in math and science? If so, the clear choice is CalTech for undergraduate. Stanford has phenomenal grad programs, but the undergraduate emphasis is not centered on math and science as it is at CalTech. Plus, the son will have more research opportunities at CalTech. It’s a small, close-knit community.</p>
<p>I mean really – is it the husband here who just wants to see if his son can get into Stanford? I’m with the wife. Move forward.</p>
<p>CalAlum, that’s what I wonder!</p>
<p>And now, here I am in the same place. Only ds was WL’ed at his first-choice school. I did just what I said I would, told him he can get on the WL but to not count on a thing and to put it out of his mind. And then we made plans to visit two of his top three choices who not only said yes but are showing lots of love. :)</p>
<p>Just to close out the thread and thank all the respondents who provided great insight and thoughts.</p>
<p>S had choices that included Chicago, Harvey Mudd, the local state schools. Just about the time this this thread died he also got into Duke (Pratt). However as per the original plan we went to pre-forsh at Caltech. Like one of the posters had predicted, once he went there he was convinced that Caltech was the place for him. He felt right at ease and in his comfort zone. He also felt that even if he got of the W/L at Stanford, he would not go there and hence there was no point taking a spot from a person who really wanted to go there. So he rejected the W/L. California here he comes -:)</p>
<p>Congratulations!!!</p>