And finally, why is it okay to say here that a very high IQ means that our kids have different learning needs than most, but it's not okay to say this idea applies to colleges as well, when places like MIT or CalTech may be environments where our kids will thrive because of their IQs?
And maybe that is where the difference is in our opinions. In a million years it would not hurt you to put Davidson on an MIT or Caltech application. Those are schools that absolutely recognize the value of a high IQ (as do most of the top 150 or so colleges in the US, I believe). You can teach people a lot of stuff, but it is really hard to teach "IQ". But if my kid were to apply to say, Winona State (apologies to any graduates out there :)), a small, regional school in our state university system, you are right that admissions person would never have heard of Davidson, and might be put off a Mensa reference.
I actually saw a reference to Davidson in a book I read a couple of years ago about getting kids into top colleges. It was talking about how to productively spend your summers to prepare for college apps, and THINK was listed in the book. But it had an asterisk that basically said it is so darned hard to get into because of the scores required that most students shouldn't bother, but if you can do it to go for it. Now again, that is THINK, not DYS. Sorry, can't recall the name of the book.
Just as an aside, how is a high test score (eg, high ACT score, which my D just pulled off -- a 35 out of 36 with NO prep for that test) any different to an admissions counselor than a high IQ? Both are a snapshot in time, a one day test. They show something about your intellectual chops compared to the rest of the applicant pool, and colleges clearly consider that invaluable information (otherwise test scores would not be required!) I actually still keep a scholarship reference on my resume from college (25 years ago) for an ACT score in the top 100 for my state, and I know that employers notice and remember it. I don't know why we should treat an indication of a high IQ as shameful. Now... I wouldn't put the actual IQ on the application.
That would be considered wierd.
