<p>A word of advice for when your S gets to college: Many, many students at top notch universities do have some trouble transitioning to college. Part of the “problem” is expectations, both on the part of the students and their parents: Dear S or D has always been one of the top students in K-12, often with little or no need to develop serious study skills, and both the kid and the parents automatically assume the kid will automatically be one of the top students in college as well. The problem is that at top notch uni’s, the kid is now (by definition) ** average ** in terms of academic background and academic talent. And 90% of those “average” students at “top uni” are not going to graduate in the top ten percent of their college graduation class. So it’s important for both the parents and the student to define “good grades/academic progress” in a reasonable fashion—particularly during the freshman year and probably the sophomore year as well. If your S has never earned a B or C in a class before, it’s important that both you and he know that he will most likely earn some B’s and C’s in college and that these should NOT be regarded as “bad grades.” As long as he’s not really in academic trouble (earning D’s and failing courses), give your S the time it takes for him to adjust to his college and learn the study skills he needs to truly excel at college and/or accept you S’s normal, but not truly outstanding academic progress, in college as sufficient.</p>