Getting a college counselor in 9th makes no sense. It is way too early to think about specific colleges (especially the hyper-competitive ones like MIT). Your S don’t even have one full year’s GPA and has no standardized testing.
You also need to recognize that HS should be an experience in and of itself – a time of learning and growth and not just a 4 year college application prep experience. What your S may be interested in three years from now may be very different from what you think he wants now.
It is good to take school seriously and know that college will be on your S’s horizon, but it is too early to start planning for specific colleges. I would highly recommend that you get off of CC until your junior year.
For now your S should focus on:
–Working hard, learning, and doing as well as he can in the most challenging curriculum he can manage.
–When the time comes study for standardized tests.
–Get involved in activities he cares about and work towards making meaningful contributions to those activities.
–Enjoying spending time with his family and friends.
When the time comes asses his academic stats (including GPA, standardized tests, course rigor) as well as your financial needs and apply to a wide range of reach, match, and safety schools that appear affordable (you will have to run a net price calculator for each school you consider) and that he would be happy to attend. You need to expand your horizons and recognize that there are many wonderful schools out there where your S can have a great 4 year experience and get where he wants to go in life.