I think you have me mixed up with someone else-?
@tutumom2001 I’m not convinced that’s a good idea. Every year there are stories of kids who fell in love with places that were close to affordable but really weren’t. You may have said words that sounded clear to you, but kids have an ability to hear about $6k more than you thought you were saying. If there’s almost no chance to get the merit and need-based aid you require then it’s best to make sure she knows you’re truly not going to make it work. I gave rough family numbers to my eldest so she could run her own NPC and eliminate schools before I even got a chance to crush her dreams. 
@StPaulDad I have a child who doesn’t believe in a “dream school.” She’s more of a “Yeah, whatever, this will work” kind of person, which is why I need some sort of criteria to work with to narrow her choices down. Basically, she said she is going to apply to several schools where she thinks she will be “fine” and then choose the one that has the cheapest EFC so she doesn’t go into debt.
Like I said earlier, it’s working for us. It may not work for you.
I think sophomore year is too early for a kid to start thinking about particular colleges or majors. Kids grow drastically from sophomore to senior year. I think it’s good to emphasize living in the present a little too.
I think it’s a great time for parents to think about several things with regard to college
-
Finances, absolutely figure out how much you can pay, and how much you will have to pay. Determine if you need to go for merit aid, or need to stick to state schools. I don’t think there is one right way. We were full pay at private schools and I would have borrowed considerably to make that happen. Other people don’t think it’s worthwhile to do that. Nobody can tell you what you value. If you need merit aid, it’s worth getting smart from CC about where it’s available.
-
Testing strategy - It may be beneficial to sit for SAT IIs for courses that are taken sophomore year. It’s worthwhile for you to figure out in conjunction with your child’s guidance counselor whether that makes sense.
-
Early decision strategy - There is a substantial boost in admissions rate for Early Decision. For certain students, it’s worth considering that direction. It’s worthwhile learning all you can about the various options: Rolling admissions, Early Action, Single Choice Early Action, Early Decision, Early Decision II, and Regular Decision. This will give you knowledge about how to craft a strategy.
My D1’s top choices were EA schools, but my D2 benefited a lot from ED and might not have gotten in had she applied RD.
@tutumom2001 That sounds well-grounded. Then get some tours in, get a feel for what she’s comfortable with and get after it. Remember, this is an adventure not a sentence, so have fun with it.
I could describe the college admissions process in many ways, but “fun” would never have been part of the description. Now, quite a few years later, one of my kids is about to get married, and “fun” has not been part of the wedding planning process, either.
One person’s adventure is another person’s source of stress. Please don’t feel guilty if you or your child are stressed types rather than adventurous ones.