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Thanks for posting this. I have a sophmore in high school. I wasn't aware of any of this.

Colleges brag about their famous tenured professors, but they usually duck the large-enrollment courses, which are often taught by recent hires or graduate students

This was true even in my day. Cornell bragged that Carl Sagan taught astronomy there. I never saw the man in the 4 years that I was there (79-83). He was too busy filming "Cosmos" and book writting and with speaking engagements.

Three books that I found helpful were the "Fiske guide to college"; "Choosing The Right College"; and "How to get into the Ivy League", which, whether the Ivy League is your goal or not still offers helpful information on the admissions process. One kid in my son's class, super student, #6, in class, is having a devil of a time not getting in in any of his choice schools. The reason: low SAT's, not enough extracurriculars, and presumably a poor essay. There is also a great book about alternative schools to the top Northeastern schools. Lots of fabulous schools in the Southeast, and middle states and they offer great educations. Rice, for instance, is top notch, and in Texas. Our son didn't want to go that far away, so we didn't explore that. His buddy just got into Claremont Mckenna, however. V's wife.

I have a sophmore in high school.

Consider community colleges. If planned right, most credits taken in a local, inexpensive two-year school will transfer to just about any four-year school including the Ivies.

And the professors work a lot harder.