[JavaBrewer]

Our close friends have a son who's very very sharp. He's graduating from H.S. with something like a 4.5 GPA and has offers from many colleges but not many of the *prime* ones. Though he is athletic (surfing and snowboarding) he was not involved in other school related activities (sports, clubs, volunteer, etc...). Apparently there are loads of 4.0+ kids to choose from and colleges are getting picky.

I think you're on the right track with your son. Keep up the activities, sports, AP, and if he can do better with the GPA then encourage a bump there as well. There is no doubt that graduation from the name college opens doors but it's the on the job performance that wins out. I earned my degree from a state school and now after 12 have folks on my team that hold higher degrees from the *prime* colleges. Sounds like your son is going to do just fine.