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if she got into Wellesley in the 1960’s she was no dummy, at least when it comes to book smarts.

I read her college thesis on Saul Alinsky. It was competent high school level. Elite schools like to recruit from other parts of the country to contribute to prestige. (That's why I applied to, and got accepted to U of Chicago from Connecticut) While I am sure her grades were fine at her public high school in Park Ridge, Illinois. She is likely the kind to pile on extra-curriculars to beef up her resume for her college application. That is often a tie-breaker among applicants.

She did do well in her college grades and got into Yale law, so she is likely well-above average (not smartest in the rooms she is typically in) and does the work. At U of C, and on the debate circuit. I found that "the smartest people in the room" were often not the people with the best grades. Hillary Clinton failed the District of Columbia (D.C.) bar exam on her first attempt, but she went on to pass the Arkansas bar exam the same year. So brilliant does not come to mind.