Hi, all! Hoping for some guidance! My 2022 is a bright (but not intellectual), athletic (but not D1 level) baseball-playing, West Coast kid who is trying to manage his academics while dealing with a pretty strong “case” of ADD. Baseball is his main hook, but he also does ocean wave photography which he’s turned into a very small business.
He has a 3.7 unweighted GPA and will graduate with a fairly pedestrian curriculum–3 APs, and a couple of difficult electives tossed in with an otherwise very middle-of-the-road academic program compared to other kids at his HS. He has not taken the ACT/SAT but given his pre-PSAT score he will be doing well to get a 28/1300-ish score.
He has more than a passing interest in West Coast, mid Atlantic and New England schools (and baseball coaches in those areas have more than a passing interest in him). We think we understand his potential fit (or lack thereof) at schools like Whitman, Willamette, Lewis and Clark, Occidental and the Claremont Colleges, but we’re less aware of how fit might play out in the Centennial Conference, the Liberty Conference, and the NESCAC. I think we have a sense of the academic intensity at places like Johns Hopkins, Swarthmore, Tufts, Amherst, Williams, Bowdoin and Vassar, and we doubt any of those schools would be a good match. Pomona and Claremont Mudd don’t feel right either.
Would appreciate any insights about Eastern US schools and how a kid with ADD might fare there.
My ADHD son wanted a small school, and I also thought that was a good idea.
Not all NESCACs are at the Williams level of intensity; check out Connecticut College and Trinity College.
I think Union and Hobart are in the Liberty League, you might check them out. Skidmore too? Bard is in that league, and has a more particular vibe, if it’s a good fit that might work.
I can’t speak to ADHD support at these schools, but I expect they all have some level of support.
When we were at Skidmore, our tour guide volunteered that he had ADD. He seemed happy and comfortable with the amount of support he was receiving.
At our Vassar tour, they made a point of saying they had support available (at least 3 counselors, if I’m remembering rightly). Have also heard that it’s pretty rigorous, with a lot of reading required, so maybe that’s still a lot to ask of someone who struggles with staying on track.
Hi again,
Merc, I think you’re right, but son decided on Vassar. Had a great conversation with the Bates coach (who used to coach at Vassar) but the coach wasn’t as far along in his recruiting as the Vassar coach was. Checked on support there for learning differenced kids before he applied ED, and got a very nice thorough response from the academic support office.
Got his admission “letter” last week. Very excited!