following up with my question about Princeton and my son?

About 85% of applicants to the Ivy League colleges are qualified to attend, but only 6% - 10% are admitted. Many great students aren't admitted. That means 4.0 (unweighted) GPAs, 2100+ SATs, etc. The Ivies receive over 3000 perfect 800 scores for each SAT section. I don't know how many perfect 2400s they receive, but there are quite a few from my area alone.

The colleges also know the rigor of the curriculum of every high school and take that into consideration. There can be a huge difference. (Generally private school curriculum is far more rigorous than public school. It's common to see a public school student with a (weighted) 5.0 GPA (many AP classes), but only 1500 SAT and 1's and 2's on all of their AP tests. That's not good. At my son's extremely rigorous private school, it's tough to get a 4.0, but their average SAT score is over 2100, about half the senior class is National Merit Commended, with many Finalists. Just because classes have the same name doesn't mean that they are the same.) Your son's age won't likely make a difference in his favor.

There are very few generous merit scholarships, and typically not at the Ivies or top public schools. There is needs-based financial aid that is quite generous for students they accept and are financially qualified. Some schools give National Merit scholarships if they are the first choice and the student scores high enough. Unfortunately, many universities don't offer the scholarships anymore, but being a Finalist does help with admissions. There are also some private National Merit scholarships. What was your son's PSAT test (or practice test) score, is he eligible, or is it likely he will be eligible?

I suggest you speak to your son's high school college counselor, because getting good grades and test scores and being smart isn't all it takes to be accepted to a top college. My dh participates in the admissions process for his Ivy alma mater, and he says that just being smart is the toughest way to make it into an Ivy. And even then it would have to be backed up with at least one thing like a published research paper done with a noted researcher, etc. The college counselor can let you know what your son must do for extracurriculars and community service so he is competitive for top college admissions. Ask them to recommend some books for you to read about college admissions.

Good luck!

The US grades on a 4.0 scale. That means a GPA of 4.2 is weighted, and weighted grades are meaningless because every high school has their own weighting system and it's impossible to tell what it means. At some schools, you can't get a 4.2. At others, it goes up to 6.0 and almost everyone scores above 4.2. He'd either major in physics or math, but 'theoretical mathematical physics' is not a major or even a field. Theory is a way of approaching physics, not a field of physics. You'd have to check out their websites for specific scholarships, but again, for the most part, they only offer need-based aid.

All of his grades are going to count. You said he received D's. With D's on his HS transcripts he is not getting into Princeton. They have enought students who have done excellent throughout HS to choose from, that he is doing well now isn't going to compare to that.

If you want to know what grants or scholarships a college offers go on their web site. Call up admissions and ask. Request info from the college be sent to you - although most info sent is right on the web site.

You can also look for grants for any college at your public library.

He is a junior in HS. You should be doing college visits right now. Meet with admissions and ask them, take a tour of the campus, meet with the head of the phyics department.