<p>Not to mention that that wide net should, for this student, include need-based schools. If he got into Yale, for example–and it is not wild-eyed to think that a val with a 36 ACT might do so–his parents would probably pay less than they would at their state flagship. (Assuming that their income isn’t a lot higher than it sounds.) The same is true at other deep-pockets, need-only schools.</p>