<p>drdom - unalove has some great suggestions too. When I was at U of C, we didn’t really have a good online course evaluation system set up. By now, this should be much better. Word of mouth is of course helpful too.</p>
<p>With your son, please let him know that the learning curve at Chicago is steep, and one’s performance the first year or two of college can certainly lag behind how one finishes up at Chicago. For the first year or two, he should keep his GPA within sight of what he wants to do, but the best strategy is to get acclimated and not seriously mess up (i.e. get lots of Cs). If he gets some Bs - this is ALWAYS fine. Remember, he should be shooting for around a 3.5-3.6 final GPA. If he can maintain roughly a B+ avg his first 5 or so quarters, and then excel in his concentration for his remaining years at Chicago, he should be in good shape.</p>
<p>Also, I understand your son will want to go to the best possible law school, but he just shouldn’t feel that he always needs to get As and set himself up for Harvard Law. Admissions at Harvard Law is, well, EXTREMELY HARD. He of course should work to maintain good standing for acceptance at a top 10-15 law school (a reasonable goal for any Chicago-caliber student), but he certainly shouldn’t feel that it’s Harvard or bust. Remember, the numbers he will need at the END OF THE LINE is around a 3.6/169. He has a long time to work toward this general goal, and its not unforseeable, even with Bs scattered all over the transcript. Over spring break, just concentrate on making sure he’s relaxed, and remind him how attainable this goal is - provided that he works HARD, meets with professors, etc etc. </p>
<p>Every once in a while, he’ll have a bump in the road where a professor is just obstinate, unhelpful, and gives him a lower grade. Make sure he keeps all this in perspective. Again, overall goal would be around a 3.6. This is CERTAINLY attainable.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>