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Dr. Leonidas Scoring System to Predict Success in College and Career

To a large extent, family background and social environment influence a child's predisposition for success. I have prepared a scoring system that assigns points to the various factors that could affect a child's chances for finishing college and achieving success in his chosen career.

Score 0, 1, or 2 points as indicated in each statement.

1.      If there is no depression, alcoholism, child or sexual abuse in the parents, score 1. Otherwise, score 0.

2.      If the mother had normal full-term delivery, with normal prenatal experience, without alcohol, drugs, chronic stress, and smoking, score 2. If the pregnancy is not normal, especially if the mother smoked, had chronic stress, or took drugs or alcohol, score 0.

3.      If at 24 months old the child can say 4 or more words in a sentence, score 2. If the child can say 1- or 2-word phrases, score 1. Otherwise, score 0.

4.      If the child is in the honor roll from grade 1 to 7, score 2. If not in the honor roll, but getting average in the report card, score 1. Otherwise, score 0.

5.      If the child's close friends are also honor students or at the top of the class in high school, score 1. If not, score 0.

6.      If both parents are college graduates, have steady jobs, with no marital or financial problems up to the child's 18^th birthday, score 2. If parents are high school graduates but with steady jobs, score 1. If parents are college graduates but applied for bankruptcy, score 1. Otherwise, score 0.

7.      If parents were not separated or divorced when the child graduated high school, score 1. If parents were separated or divorced, score 0.

 Add the scores from each of the statements -- the closer to a total score of 10, the greater the chance that the child will finish college and get the job of his choice. A total score of 8 and above favors a child with a bright career and future.

This scoring system is based on my 31 years of experience as a pediatrician. Eleven of my former patients are now physicians; two are still in medical school. Of these eleven, only one is from a family whose parents divorced. This scoring system may not apply to recent immigrants.

Of course, there will be children resilient enough to succeed in life in spite of family background and social influence. Their scores might be 5 and below but still be successful in life. These are the children we should study to discover the factors that helped them cope and adapt to the environment, and ultimately succeed.

 Leo Leonidas, MD, FAAP

Attending Pediatrician, Eastern Maine Medical Center;  Assistant Clinical Professor in Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston

copyright@2002 Leo Leonidas

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