What am I missing? UC related

OP, your son’s stats are excellent and he should be a contender at any school…but a shoe-in at none when it comes to top-30/35. He MUST cast a wide net, as there is no way to predict which of those top schools will be looking for a candidate that matches his particular attributes for that particular incoming class.

Play up the adversities, but with a positive focus. Adversities can be a small hook in their own way, as long as the kid has positively grown from them.

Beware of Naviance statistics. If your school breaks it down, look only at last year’s reports. Admission rates and stats have tightened up SIGNIFICANTLY over the past five years.