@JBStillFlying , I believe @TheGreyKing 's son is not, alas, commencing his studies at the U of C, where he would certainly flourish. We wish him well all the same. If a mere varlet like me has the power to do so, I dub @TheGreyKing and her son honorary Chicagoans. Maybe the campus will see him some day for grad school.
@marlowe1 - ah, well - that all may apply to mine as well! 
@JBStillFlying and @marlowe1 - Thank you for the good wishes! Yes, we are in the car now en route to Williams College, his college.
I remembered this thread and searched for it after an interesting coincidence.
Last night, my son was telling us how wonderful it was to have friends at college who enjoy talking about ideas, and how things they learned in class actually often are relevant to conversations they are having, and they talk about the theories/events/ideas they each have learned that apply to what they are discussing. For him, college truly has lived up to the immersion in the “life of the mind” I had mentioned in post #12 in this thread.
This morning, I read in The New York Times that the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is eliminating some liberal arts majors, including history and a couple of major languages.
As the parent of a kid who has been overflowing with excitement about his classes, including history, in which he intends to major, I find it so sad that colleges are eliminating liberal arts subjects like history— or like math, which Goucher has done. I understand that colleges have a bottom line and need to viable financially. I just find it sad that society devalues intellectualism.
I am sure that colleges like Williams, where my kid goes, and U Chicago, which houses this thread, will continue to offer liberal arts courses and majors. But I hope the joys of intellectual exploration will not become limited to those students who can get into colleges that accept only a small percentage of their applicants. Enjoying thought for thought’s sake is something that can enhance life for ALL people.