Thanks to all who replied…and to @waynegretzky, who was nice enough to come out of retirement and offer a few words.
@around here --Thanks for kind reply. Just to be clear, I would never suggest my son would be over his head at a certain class of school. I have full faith he could excel and be happy at any of the selective schools. My qualms arise from stuff that is actually not about academics–namely the personal branding via ECs for admissions.
@Hunt --Speak of the devil! Your thread from a few years back “Elite Admissions: Finding the AND” was one of many factors that sewed the doubts expressed in my original post. I realize your so-called AND doesn’t necessarily have to be a precocious EC talent and could just be some quirky personal pursuit (in other words something that’s just interesting and not necessarily a skill). I also realize not every successful applicant has them. But many people sure seem convinced those things do tip the scales. Is senior year too late to start raising chinchillas?..Anyway, thanks for encouragement and I take your point about applying to multiple reaches. Fully agree.