Is my son smart enough for an Ivy?

<p>If he would be happy with a Dartmouth GPA of say 3.0, then go for it. If he wants to go to medical school, law school, b school or other professional school, then pick an “easier” undergrad college to keep the GPA higher.</p>

<p>I think it starts with: does he want to be a little fish in a big pond or a big fish in a little pond? That’s the ego question. Some kids are empowered when they lead the pack, others when the pack leads them and motivates them. </p>

<p>And, how hard will he really be willing to work in college, to keep up? </p>

<p>If he’s thinking of med school, the more important question is how the college weeds out pre-meds. It can be brutal, when they do. In many cases, it’s better to go to a college that has a more “cooperative” approach to pre-med. That’s not a matter of the usual stat schools tell: the percentage of applicants who got into one of their top three med school choices. Many colleges cull most out, to only end up with the best of the best applying and getting the dept support. </p>

<p>@compmom, Dartmouth generally does not use graduate students as TAs. Unlike the other Ivies and other peer schools, D has limited graduate departments. That’s one reason they call themselves Dartmouth College. :)</p>

<p>The school year at D has 4 quarters, or terms. Students are theoretically required to be on campus for the first three terms of freshman year, for sophomore summer, and for the 3 terms of senior year. The rest is flexible. Exceptions are made, though. The standard course load is 3 courses per term.</p>

<p>I was interested to note that the professor involved in the ongoing controversy about students clicking in for others in a large course to conceal their absence said that he created the course because he observed that athletes often seemed to hvae trouble with standard D courses. Obviously, the academic ability of D athletes covers a wide range, though. </p>

<p>A 32 is not good enough for most Ivy league schools. Try Vanderbilt or Notre Dame and see if he gets in there. Don’t think about it as passing up Ivy League schools because if he won’t succeed there, it won’t help me in the long run.</p>