My problem with this parent’s strategy has less to do with the number of schools and more to do with this:
The mom is acting as if somehow in the next four or five months the son is going to have a Eureka! moment in which he discovers he wants to spend his life doing one of the things on his list. Considering the fact that few high schools have many, if any, courses in these areas he seems best suited to a college where he can take freshman courses in all four so that he can explore where his interests lie. For instance, choosing the best school for communications in the country isn’t going to be wise if he eventually finds he hates communications and can’t then transfer majors.