<p>Dartmouth might serve him better if he wanted to go there, but it seems like maybe he doesn’t. And many kids want to stick a bit closer to home… moving across the country might have seemed like a good idea in theory, but now that it’s turning into a reality it’s understandable that your S might change his mind. </p>
<p>Ultimately, I would suggest you think about where your son would do his best, and which school would benefit him more in that sense. If he is miserable at Dartmouth, his academics will suffer, and if this is the case then he’d be much better off doing awesome at Rhodes.</p>
<p>The prestige of Dartmouth isn’t really something that can be ignored, but this is ultimately your S’s choice to make. You can talk to him all you want, but you can’t force him, and you shouldn’t try to.</p>