Anonymous
11/30/2025 12:43
Subject: Is it worth visiting schools (ie Dartmouth) that have quarter system for neurodiverse DS?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We are debating whether or not to visit Dartmouth during our Spring college visit to Boston. DD is a straight-A student with inattentive ADHD and anxiety/on the spectrum. She is looking for an intellectual environment (but not cutthroat). She is super bright and has llower processing speed, and is interested in medical school. I am not sure whether the quarter system at Dartmouth (and also Northwestern) would be a good fit. It is generally recommended that kids with ADHD avoid schools with the quarter system. Should we even visit a school like Dartmouth when we are traveling to Boston? (Asking as we are traveling from the West Coast and Dartmouth is a significant detour).
(Also looking for a school with structured guidance, inclusive clubs, and accepting/nurturing environment).
This is not a fit for any of the ivies nor any of the Top25 privates. There will be too many students with well above average processing speed, and premed courses are graded on a curve compared to the rest. Even though Dartmouth inflates some, only 40-50% get A- and A in stem classes, the rest get B range with a few C range. Yours will likely be a solid B student at best. A 3.0-3.4 BCPM(stem) GPA does not get one into medical school, even from an ivy that is too low.
In addition, the MCAT does not allow extra time. Presumably your kid gets accommodations for time on the SAT/ACT. Unless a student can get a 1440+ with no accommodations, med school in the US will be unlikely due to the fact that getting above a 508 will be unlikely. The students who get in to MD programs in the US with below a 508 tend to be underrepresented.
I think you WAY overestimate the cohorts at the Ivies and other top25 schools. Take your doom and gloom and chill.
I actually have a Dartmouth student with ADHD who is getting high As with little effort. An older kid at another top20 school who is also doing great.
There are so many kids at these schools who get in on a basis other than academic strength. If you have a very bright, academic kid they will do very well. It's difficult not to. My Dartmouth child just took finals and literally had 2-3 days to study for each exam. The quarter system works very well for them.
There’s ADHD and there is “ADHD” and apparently your kid has the latter. If OP’s kid’s condition is so severe as to possibly not cope with the quarter system, then they likely need much more support than an Ivy can give and are not cut out for med school.
Anonymous
11/30/2025 12:33
Subject: Is it worth visiting schools (ie Dartmouth) that have quarter system for neurodiverse DS?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:I mean this gently - if she cannot keep up with a quarter system, she cannot go to medical skill and be a doctor. land the helicopter and let her decide where to go to school.
Interesting - I was wondering how someone with a slow processing speed would get through medical school.
A slow processing speed does not mean she is not bright. Otherwise she wouldn't be a straight A student.
Anonymous
11/30/2025 12:24
Subject: Is it worth visiting schools (ie Dartmouth) that have quarter system for neurodiverse DS?
Anonymous wrote:I mean this gently - if she cannot keep up with a quarter system, she cannot go to medical skill and be a doctor. land the helicopter and let her decide where to go to school.
Interesting - I was wondering how someone with a slow processing speed would get through medical school.
Anonymous
11/30/2025 12:12
Subject: Is it worth visiting schools (ie Dartmouth) that have quarter system for neurodiverse DS?
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:We are debating whether or not to visit Dartmouth during our Spring college visit to Boston. DD is a straight-A student with inattentive ADHD and anxiety/on the spectrum. She is looking for an intellectual environment (but not cutthroat). She is super bright and has llower processing speed, and is interested in medical school. I am not sure whether the quarter system at Dartmouth (and also Northwestern) would be a good fit. It is generally recommended that kids with ADHD avoid schools with the quarter system. Should we even visit a school like Dartmouth when we are traveling to Boston? (Asking as we are traveling from the West Coast and Dartmouth is a significant detour).
(Also looking for a school with structured guidance, inclusive clubs, and accepting/nurturing environment).
This is not a fit for any of the ivies nor any of the Top25 privates. There will be too many students with well above average processing speed, and premed courses are graded on a curve compared to the rest. Even though Dartmouth inflates some, only 40-50% get A- and A in stem classes, the rest get B range with a few C range. Yours will likely be a solid B student at best. A 3.0-3.4 BCPM(stem) GPA does not get one into medical school, even from an ivy that is too low.
In addition, the MCAT does not allow extra time. Presumably your kid gets accommodations for time on the SAT/ACT. Unless a student can get a 1440+ with no accommodations, med school in the US will be unlikely due to the fact that getting above a 508 will be unlikely. The students who get in to MD programs in the US with below a 508 tend to be underrepresented.
I think you WAY overestimate the cohorts at the Ivies and other top25 schools. Take your doom and gloom and chill.
I actually have a Dartmouth student with ADHD who is getting high As with little effort. An older kid at another top20 school who is also doing great.
There are so many kids at these schools who get in on a basis other than academic strength. If you have a very bright, academic kid they will do very well. It's difficult not to. My Dartmouth child just took finals and literally had 2-3 days to study for each exam. The quarter system works very well for them.
Anonymous
11/30/2025 12:04
Subject: Is it worth visiting schools (ie Dartmouth) that have quarter system for neurodiverse DS?
Why on earth would a quarter system be particularly bad for AuDHD students?
We visited Dartmouth with DS, who is AuDHD as well. He ended up at a university with a regular calendar, and is currently in a sister university in Europe doing his academic exchange. I have no doubt that he could deal with something as minor as a calendar variance, no problem.
We visited Dartmouth with DS, who is AuDHD as well. He ended up at a university with a regular calendar, and is currently in a sister university in Europe doing his academic exchange. I have no doubt that he could deal with something as minor as a calendar variance, no problem.
Anonymous
11/30/2025 12:01
Subject: Is it worth visiting schools (ie Dartmouth) that have quarter system for neurodiverse DS?
Anonymous wrote:I mean this gently - if she cannot keep up with a quarter system, she cannot go to medical skill and be a doctor. land the helicopter and let her decide where to go to school.
+++
Anonymous
11/30/2025 12:00
Subject: Is it worth visiting schools (ie Dartmouth) that have quarter system for neurodiverse DS?
Anonymous wrote:We are debating whether or not to visit Dartmouth during our Spring college visit to Boston. DD is a straight-A student with inattentive ADHD and anxiety/on the spectrum. She is looking for an intellectual environment (but not cutthroat). She is super bright and has llower processing speed, and is interested in medical school. I am not sure whether the quarter system at Dartmouth (and also Northwestern) would be a good fit. It is generally recommended that kids with ADHD avoid schools with the quarter system. Should we even visit a school like Dartmouth when we are traveling to Boston? (Asking as we are traveling from the West Coast and Dartmouth is a significant detour).
(Also looking for a school with structured guidance, inclusive clubs, and accepting/nurturing environment).
This is not a fit for any of the ivies nor any of the Top25 privates. There will be too many students with well above average processing speed, and premed courses are graded on a curve compared to the rest. Even though Dartmouth inflates some, only 40-50% get A- and A in stem classes, the rest get B range with a few C range. Yours will likely be a solid B student at best. A 3.0-3.4 BCPM(stem) GPA does not get one into medical school, even from an ivy that is too low.
In addition, the MCAT does not allow extra time. Presumably your kid gets accommodations for time on the SAT/ACT. Unless a student can get a 1440+ with no accommodations, med school in the US will be unlikely due to the fact that getting above a 508 will be unlikely. The students who get in to MD programs in the US with below a 508 tend to be underrepresented.
Anonymous
11/30/2025 11:51
Subject: Is it worth visiting schools (ie Dartmouth) that have quarter system for neurodiverse DS?
I have a ND kid with slow processing at a school with the semester system and TBH he is really struggling with the workload because of the pace. So based on that I wouldn't.
Anonymous
11/30/2025 11:30
Subject: Is it worth visiting schools (ie Dartmouth) that have quarter system for neurodiverse DS?
Quarter system is great! You focus on fewer classes at once , for a shorter period of time. I do agree though that if she can’t handle the stresses of undergrad then medical school could be impossible. Perhaps look into medical adjacent fields (NP, PT, etc).
Anonymous
11/30/2025 11:29
Subject: Is it worth visiting schools (ie Dartmouth) that have quarter system for neurodiverse DS?
From what I can observe of my DC's experience, the quarter system does seem super intense, and the lack of the 4-day Fall break lots of semester schools have means it goes non-stop for 10 weeks. OTOH, they generally take only 3 classes, in contrast to the 5 my semester-based DC takes, and the need keep track of fewer assignment streams seems to be a real positive.
Anonymous
11/30/2025 11:25
Subject: Is it worth visiting schools (ie Dartmouth) that have quarter system for neurodiverse DS?
+1 😔
Anonymous
11/30/2025 11:22
Subject: Is it worth visiting schools (ie Dartmouth) that have quarter system for neurodiverse DS?
Anonymous wrote:We are debating whether or not to visit Dartmouth during our Spring college visit to Boston. DD is a straight-A student with inattentive ADHD and anxiety/on the spectrum. She is looking for an intellectual environment (but not cutthroat). She is super bright and has lower processing speed, and is interested in medical school. I am not sure whether the quarter system at Dartmouth (and also Northwestern) would be a good fit. It is generally recommended that kids with ADHD avoid schools with the quarter system. Should we even visit a school like Dartmouth when we are traveling to Boston? (Asking as we are traveling from the West Coast and Dartmouth is a significant detour).
(Also looking for a school with structured guidance, inclusive clubs, and accepting/nurturing environment).
I fit this exact profile and went to a school on the quarter system and it actually worked better for me. Because of the shorter terms, there were always deadlines in sight so I wasn't able to drift for weeks before catching up. DC who is a junior at Dartmouth says it's a collaborative intellectual environment - even among pre-med students which often isn't the case. Yes, visit! It's a lovely campus and she will either fall in love or you can cross it off your list. Best of luck!
Anonymous
11/30/2025 11:19
Subject: Is it worth visiting schools (ie Dartmouth) that have quarter system for neurodiverse DS?
I mean this gently - if she cannot keep up with a quarter system, she cannot go to medical skill and be a doctor. land the helicopter and let her decide where to go to school.
Anonymous
11/30/2025 11:18
Subject: Is it worth visiting schools (ie Dartmouth) that have quarter system for neurodiverse DS?
I would look for a Dartmouth-specific forum, not here. Probably the Dartmouth subreddit.
I have a kid at NU who has premed friends. The quarter moves fast. While it would not be great to fall behind in the quarter system, for some kids the pace may be a good thing, an incentive to keep moving, to avoid hitting the pause button.
One thought, it's not great to fall behind on a semester system either, as making up for lost time may not be as possible as it sounds. Assignments are due when they are due. Procrastinating on general study time, pushing it to the back end of a semester, is not necessarily a path to success. Consider whether a semester system might encourage procrastination, make the kid think they have time that they don't actually have.
I have a kid at NU who has premed friends. The quarter moves fast. While it would not be great to fall behind in the quarter system, for some kids the pace may be a good thing, an incentive to keep moving, to avoid hitting the pause button.
One thought, it's not great to fall behind on a semester system either, as making up for lost time may not be as possible as it sounds. Assignments are due when they are due. Procrastinating on general study time, pushing it to the back end of a semester, is not necessarily a path to success. Consider whether a semester system might encourage procrastination, make the kid think they have time that they don't actually have.
Anonymous
11/30/2025 11:06
Subject: Is it worth visiting schools (ie Dartmouth) that have quarter system for neurodiverse DS?
We are debating whether or not to visit Dartmouth during our Spring college visit to Boston. DD is a straight-A student with inattentive ADHD and anxiety/on the spectrum. She is looking for an intellectual environment (but not cutthroat). She is super bright and has lower processing speed, and is interested in medical school. I am not sure whether the quarter system at Dartmouth (and also Northwestern) would be a good fit. It is generally recommended that kids with ADHD avoid schools with the quarter system. Should we even visit a school like Dartmouth when we are traveling to Boston? (Asking as we are traveling from the West Coast and Dartmouth is a significant detour).
(Also looking for a school with structured guidance, inclusive clubs, and accepting/nurturing environment).
(Also looking for a school with structured guidance, inclusive clubs, and accepting/nurturing environment).