<p>m-s, just one additional piece of data. We have one more success to report. My son finished his first semester at a top-ranked LAC and received his grades: 3 A’s and and one A+. The latter was in one of his likely majors. [I don’t know what percentage of the class gets A’s and or A+'s – how bad the grade inflation is. He thought he would get an A+ in another class but didn’t. But, in the classes in which he had information, he did significantly better than many of his classmates. He got a 98, 99 and 100 on the three tests in the first course, and the median was something like 77.]</p>
<p>There is a cost to this. He worked very hard even though he chose a schedule that played to his strengths. He was exhausted by the end of the semester (not just tired, but bumping into walls tired) and just came home to rest and visit with friends. And, success of this sort requires sacrifices. I proposed that we take a one week ski vacation in the Canadian Rockies in March when his and my daughter’s vacation schedules overlap. He said, “I have a significant paper due at the end of term in one of my courses. I love skiing but skiing is usually not a relaxing vacation. There’s no time for work and I wouldn’t have energy for it. I’ll need to work on that paper over vacation.” So, planning, some sacrifice, and energy management are key if your child is like ours. There will be many more hills to climb, and significant bumps in the road still to cope with, but at least I can report a first semester success.</p>