In my case my husband went to top tier/ivy schools but I have no illusion that my DS15 will manage get accepted at either university despite the legacy. My son is not motivated and it shows in his grades. We have been discussing what grades he needs to attend top public research universities. I am assuming that he will do well on the SAT, and it looks like he will mostly likely be interested in math/computers/engineering or science at university.
We have three more years until high school so it is difficult to predict how things will be then. DS never grubs for grades (even when the teacher made a mistake) while DD makes sure that she gets every point. Interestingly, DS has been pestering me about my grades and courses in high school recently. My feeling is that he will have the high grades and testing scores but I don't know whether he will have the patience to jump through all the hoops. DD might be leaning toward top art schools, but I have already warned her that the very top art schools (at least in my day) are probably as rigorous and selective as the ivies.
