For one, use exams which have higher ceilings?

Caltech is close to this and had 8208 applicants for the 2022 class, admitting only 6.6% of them.

Why you need more than just academic scores.

So I skimmed all of this thread and literally feel nauseous. I have a question for y'all. I have a 7th grader who is twice exceptional. I suppose he will be doing this college thing soon. We are very comfortable but by no means rich. College expenses will be a burden. My son is "gifted " and currently in honors classes but I would not say he's 'on fire' like some of the kiddos here or that we even see among his peers. He makes "A"s and "A-"s He plays one sport - ice hockey and that is for fun, though he does play for two teams. He is not a superstar athelte and is not looking to get in anywhere based on athletics. I doubt he will do much beyond school and ice hockey (maybe some volunteer just because *I* think it's important to give back) due to the fact that he has EDS and fatigues easily and does get sick quite a lot especially if he gets less than 9 hours of sleep consistently. So he can not do tons of extra-curriculars and nor do I want him to. Even if he could get into an Ivy league we could never afford it and I can't imagine he'd get any scholarship money - I am certainly not counting on it (and I am not interested in him being saddled with colossal student loans like I was). I am not status-seeking bragger. As far as I am concerned my kid can go anywhere as long as the education is decent and he is happy. Will he be okay? I mean just regular old local state schools and universities still take regular kids, right? I am thinking like University of Delaware, Temple, Penn State, etc. And with all that as background should we be doing something now? Sorry if this is way off-topic - it is kind of the opposite of the stated original post/question.

Briefly, yes. Regular ol' good students who haven't published in refereed journals or saved the planet single-handedly (or who just can't afford the elites without racking up massive debt) can still get into perfectly respectable four-year state schools. I mean, I think my college-bound kiddo is fabulous , but DC's resume is by no means up there with the ones described up-thread, and yet there were multiple acceptances, with merit aid offers, to very adequate state universities.

There are quality of life and values considerations that weigh more heavily with me than the incremental benefit of chasing an elite/Ivy education.

Time enough for big names when DC gets to graduate or professional school. If then.

Oh, thank God! Thanks aeh, I needed that reassurance.

Great question, Irena.
In planning ahead, the books of Elizabeth Wissner Gross may be of interest.
Two books for parents, one for kids but you may want to read it first:
1) What High Schools Don't Tell You and Other Parents Don't Want You to Know,
2) What Colleges Don't Tell You, and Other Parents Don't Want You to Know,
3) Write Your College Essay in Less Than a Day.

These books help parents and kids see that there are many activities helpful to kids when looking forward to college, and many approaches to essay about them.

Thanks Indigo!

I think you can get to a lot of places, using different paths. It helps to know where you want to go to find the cheapest, easiest path there. Like if you want medical school, any state undergrad will do. You will still be eligible for medical school, still be a doctor. If you want to be an investment banker, Harvard and Yale might give you a leg up in connections. Getting into a good MBA program. etc. DD didn't get into the Stanford AI4all program, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. She wants deep, deep ocean robotics stuff. And she has been to AI conferences. And Stanford was a intro, generalist program. She found a great marine science/technology program at a coastal U. In hindsight, Stanford was prestigious and ego boosting but not the right fit. The universe pointed her in the right direction.

note: Stanford AI4all is a summer program for 9th grade girls...not college but thought I would put that in as perspective.