On reflection, I couldn’t see any strong reason to keep Willamette on the list, so we’re down to nine. (That’s nine to focus on at an upcoming roadshow.) Although I’ve done a fair amount of research at this point, if anyone with firsthand knowledge of one or more of these schools wanted to weigh in with quick impressions/pros/cons for any of the above relative to quirky, curious, mellow, STEM-ish, not terribly sporty kid with interest in (but not great dedication to) music, I’m all ears, since it will help inform any questions. (Already figuring Reed, which is the one reach in the list, might be a little intense for the kid’s current demonstrated work style, though I suspect it will be attractive nonetheless, thus worthy of further investigation.)