This is just food-for-thought for you, fwiw. First thought - you can't really change the fact that your ds doesn't have the extracurriculars, but try not to get caught up in that. Apply to where he wants to apply.
Second thought - attending an Ivy was never on my radar as a high school student - not because I thought I couldn't get in, not because I thought I couldn't afford it (which I'm sure I couldn't have lol!), and not because they were way far away from my home state (which they were... but that didn't factor into anything). They simply weren't the schools I was interested in applying to. What I did as a high school student was look at what schools focused on my area of career interest and my passions, and from that list I looked at which schools were the highest ranked, which schools students graduating from in my area were getting the job offers from and which schools offered the most challenging curriculum (and had a reputation for being "hard"). I landed at a terrific school that set me up well for life-after-school in my profession. I was surrounded by incredibly intelligent peers and grad students.
I am always a little bit fascinated by the fascination with getting into the Ivies. I realize it's a big dream for a lot of people - and I have known students in recent years who have dreamed there and gone there
But it's not everyone's dream, and not getting into an Ivy doesn't necessarily mean an exceptionally or profoundly gifted student won't be able to find peers at the university they land at. There really are great schools out there that aren't Ivys.
polarbear
