<p>I can understand why you, the parent, are looking into things at this point, especially in your situation, having been in Canada and now Detroit.</p>
<p>However, I just want to add to the discussion that sophomore year is a little early for the student to be thinking much about college. Many of us here have had multiple kids go through this process and can say from experience that one way to limit stress is not to start too early. Also, if started a bit later, the whole thing can be more in their control, and that experience of autonomy can be good preparation for going away.</p>
<p>Another poing: I think it is good to avoid mentioning doing things for the sake of college admissions, and instead emphasizing interest, service, more “authentic” reasons for doing things like volunteering or educational programs or whatever. Ironically, I personally believe that colleges can sniff out that authenticity 
But for your kid’s character, it is so much better to let natural inclinations drive activities and even academics to a point.</p>
<p>I am sure you are doing this but supporting your kid in enjoying high school and freely exploring interests is, I think, the best way to go at this stage.</p>
<p>Finally, you already have a decent list of schools. McGill, Toronto, U. of Michigan and Michigan State. If these meet your student’s needs, your pocketbook, and there is a reasonable chance of admission, I don’t see any reason to spend a lot of time and money and effort on assembling and applying to a list with many more schools. </p>
<p>p.s. I believe that many schools have an SAT cut off, so to speak, so that, say, a 780 isn’t any more indicative of success with admissions than a 720. If you make the pool with the adequate SAT, then the schools look at other things. People here can correct me if I am wrong. Finding out whether that is true at a particular school may lessen stress from retaking tests unnecessarily. Or studying (I am not a fan of too much preparation for tests.) Larger universities, perhaps especially public ones, necessarily rely more on numbers. Smaller, private schools tend to be more holistic.</p>