Your son has excellent stats. He may be happy with Georgia Tech but he can’t assume he’ll get in. Therefore he needs a few more schools on his list. Every school will have pros and cons- I’m sure the older generations can argue the merits of their schools with each other.
Seems like engineering is his current choice, the exact field will be determined. Finances no problem as well. Post #33 last paragraph information to be read to your son.
I would hesitate with Wash U for two reasons. First- ideally he should leave home. Going across town versus to a whole new city/state. Second- there are many better places to be for STEM. When H’s relatives were applying there I looked it up. Math, engineering, chemistry, physics so much higher ranked at UW and several other schools. Top undergrads do take grad level courses. I saw only one general chem/calc class at wash U compared to several options at UW. Many Wash U students are premed- nothing wrong with that (I was a chemistry major who went on to become a physician) but it seems as though there will be a lot of students taking courses for premed and not because they are passionate about the subject. Likewise it seems nicer to be with a larger population of engineers as is found at major U’s.
He needs to make a list of pros and cons for several U’s of interest. He also needs to figure out priorities. The winter weather in Madison, WI may be a downer for him but something else may be a plus. Likewise for every school, including GA Tech. He can rank schools so he has viable options if his first choices do not accept him.
Remember that flagship U’s really have two tiers- the elite, often populating honors classes, and the next tier students who are still far above the average college student (remember on CC we don’t hear about the hundreds of more average schools most kids attend in their home states). Many high end gifted kids (we were in the Northwestern Talent Search region) attend their state flagship. btw- many gifted boys do not get top grades as they are less willing than girls to do the boring work (my son’s senior year was an example, sigh). So, a top tier private school likely will be much smaller and cut out many of the students at the flagship while there could be greater numbers of students with higher ability and the same interests. Percentages do not tell the whole story. Especially when one can get 100 math majors (not just premed students taking the only offered calculus classes) or high numbers in top engineering programs.
UW has become more competitive for engineering entry in recent years. But, your son is likely to be one of those getting the top grades and get into it. They also have begun some direct admits. So far computer science does not have limitations. Your son should choose schools with excellent departments in several potential fields of interest. He may change his plans after experiencing college courses like many do.