<p>My D had a so so freshman year. In high school she was diagnosed with ADD and sought help for behavior modifications. She really struggled her first year freshman year at a large state university. She found studying very difficult - she ended up doing so so - getting two D+'s in core requirements - so now will need to retake those for a C or better. She is very bright and keeps company with very bright and focused friends so feels like a failure seeing them succeed and her fail. This summer she returned to see the psychologist who initially diagnosed her ADD. She is going to begin taking medication to help with the ADD. I am hoping that helps but wonder if a large state school is the right fit. She loved it there socially and made LOTS of friends so would be very sad to leave that behind. Her doctor is also sending an official diagnosis to the school and getting special resources such as extended test time and tutoring help, but I wonder if a large state school with large lecture classes and little interaction with the professors is the right place. I would love to hear from other parents of college children with ADD and would appreciate any advice you have.</p>
<p>My son has ADD and has just finished his sophomore year at Williams. I think he would be swallowed up in a large state school.</p>
<p>He has a B average, and is shooting for a B+. When he was failing music theory, the Dean contacted him and suggested he drop the course. They were very nurturing. Now he’s a Classics Major and there are only about 5 Classics Majors who graduate every year, so I’m pretty sure they are going to do everything they can to see that he succeeds.</p>
<p>So I would say it probably isn’t the best place. </p>
<p>He has been taking meds since 5th grade but is now rebelling against them. Stay tuned.</p>
<p>In our (somewhat limited) experience, there can be a trade off: Big schools may have specialized programs for specific learning disabilities, as ADD or ADHD is classified, with significant staff. The small schools may only have a general learning center, and a one person disability office. The larger question, though, is whether or not the student takes advantage of what resources are available. If the student is proactive, the support possibilities (note taking, etc.) at a large school may work out fine. It does seem more likely, though, that a student can fall through the cracks at a large school.</p>
<p>One challenge with young adults with ADD or other learning differences is that they may want to try to do without the family support system that helped them succeed in high school. This is understandable and part of maturing and leaving the nest. Sometimes, though, it takes some degree of failure to bring home to the student that the support resources are there at college and that they need to seek them out and take advantage of them.</p>
<p>Before deciding what college environment would be best for your D, find out what resources there are at her U, how well they are used, and whether realistically your D would take advantage of them.</p>
<p>The medication should help, but you may have to try several different medications at different dosages before you get the right effect (focus without anxiety—a tough balancing act). I hope your daughter benefits immediately, but tell her not to lose heart if it takes months and months of experimentation.</p>
<p>A smaller school with more individual focus has been better for my son, who has ADD and is currently unmedicated. It’s better primarily because the teachers know him, his capabilities, and his limitations, and they make certain accommodations for all students in order to get them to perform their best. I don’t think any of them know he has ADD; things just seem to work this way in a smaller school.</p>
<p>I think it does depend on what the college has to offer and what the student needs. My son had a focusing problem but didn’t medicate. He knew a large university would not be a good fit and found a small LAC much more of a fit. He did well, occasionally had organizing issues, but all and all, the close relationship with professors, small classes and nurturing the first year, made a huge difference.</p>
<p>You may be interested in posting this under Learning Differences/ADHD, which is a discussion fourm listed on the main page.</p>
<p>You REALLY REALLY need to get the book, Peterson’s,“Colleges with Programs for Students with Larning Disabilities or Attention Deficit Disorders.” Don’t tnink about it or pass go. Get the book.</p>
<p>Not all schools are created equally for learning disabled (LD) kids. Some schools provide test accomodations , tutoring, note taking and MUCH more.Moreover you would think that high quality, well- known school provide these services,which I have found to not usually be the case!</p>
<p>My son attended Fairleigh Dickenson,which was terrific for LD kids. He ended up graduating with honors and almost with high honors. They eventually weaned him off the program by his senior year. In fact, he was able to attend grad school without any LD support. There are other noteworthy schools that will provide great support,but you need to find them.</p>
<p>My ADD kid (also diagnosed during HS) is at a large public and thriving after a bit of a rocky academic start. We had initially looked at much smaller schools thinking they would be best, but he just loved everything about the big flagships and was determined to find a way to be successful at a big school. After a trial without his meds, he realized that at least for now, they help provide the focus that he needs.</p>
<p>The biggest hurdle he faced was overcoming his own tendency not to ask for help. He had to learn to be his own advocate and realize that seeking help is not a sign of weakness. I think this is often the case when kids are diagnosed later. We convinced him to go to the profs’ office hours, which much to his surprise, he found very helpful. We also encouraged him to rewrite his notes after class and come up with a set study/homework schedule. He found that a structured study/homework session in the library was much more productive than in his dorm where there were too many distractions. Getting a handle on time management and establishing regular sleep habits were very important steps as were getting exercise and eating well. There was a definite period of adjustment but once he started to implement these behaviors, the results were all positive.</p>
<p>The visit with her psychologist was a great start to helping her turn it around. I think the best thing you can do now is to help your D come up with a plan for success. Write it down and have her post it by her desk or bed where she can see it and get that daily reinforcement. Good luck.</p>
<p>To me, the key question would not be large public uni vs. small LAC, but what, specifically, your D needs in order to succeed at college and whether the specific college works for her given her individual needs. </p>
<p>For example, say D has a very hard time staying on task and routinely zones out in large lecture classes, but remains more engaged and attentive in smaller, discussion-based or interactive classes. If this is the case, then if the larger uni has mostly large lecture classes for her gen ed and first couple of years in her major, but a smaller LAC would have more of the kinds of classes that work better for her, a change might be in order. But if the issue is more that she hasn’t found a way to get herself to sit down and study, to absorb the material she needs to know, and to remain organized, then these issues need to be addressed no matter what the college setting, and the question becomes, does the uni or LAC have the resources to help a student with these particular problems? (Some colleges actually have counselors and learning specialists with whom students can meet on a regular basis to work on LD-related academic issues.)</p>
<p>It would be great if the evaluation that is being done for your D at this point could address, in very concrete ways, the specific things that impinge on her ability to succeed in college. This way, you’ll be able to have a better handle on the skills and habits that she has to work on (no matter where) as well as understanding the aspects of the college environment are the most challenging for her. The psychologist could also come up with specific accommodations and kinds of support that would be most helpful.</p>
<p>Once you have all this info, you could talk with the LD support office at her current uni and see what they offer. You might contact a few other unis and LACs’ LD offices as well to get a sense of how her current uni stacks up in terms of support services. Many colleges’ LD and disability service programs have an extensive online presence so you can get the general outline of what they have to offer before talking to them about your D’s specific situation.</p>
<p>I want to add that I have learned on CC that some colleges provide services and programs for LD students for a price. At my kid’s uni, and at other schools we considered, the services are free.</p>
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<p>Taxguy, how many schools does this book list? I’ve gotten Fiske’s list and Princeton Review’s list, but hadn’t heard of this guide.</p>
<p>Toledo, I don’t have the book in front of me since I am on “travel status.” However, my memory is that it has dozens of schools.</p>
<p>Thanks, taxguy. I looked it up and it’s over 1,000 schools. Sometimes too much information can be overwhelming, but I’ll try and check it out at the bookstore, if they have it. Otherwise, it’s on ebay for around $24.</p>
<p>jsmom: You mentioned your daughter is going to begin medication. Hopefully, that will make all the difference for her, at least it did in my son’s case. The size of her school may be less important than the individual therapy she is receiving and the type of support available at the school she attends. If she is happy there, I would hate to see her leave just because the school is large. Being able to focus will change everything, I am guessing. Best wishes to her.</p>
<p>Eddiegirl also has ADD. This is one of the reasons that she did not look into a large school. She wouldn’t have done well in huge lecture halls with 100’s of students. She will be starting college this year and is going to be on medication.</p>
<p>Thanks for the feedback. I am hopeful that once she begins medication it will make all the difference in the world. Apparently the State U does have a program specific to ADD and she can meet with someone weekly. She finds it hard to focus in any class regardless of size and when she sits down to do homework/study very hard to concentrate. I will check out the Peterson’s guide but she is VERY happy at her current schools - but I’d like to see what other options are and see how they stack up against what her current school is offering.</p>
<p>My son began meds for ADHD in his sophomore year of hs. Before that we tried ever type of behavior modification known - nothing really helped long term. I have to warn you though, that things actually got worse when he began meds. He tried 4 different meds and different dosages of each before the right med (FocalinXR) was found. </p>
<p>He just finished his first year of college (a top 20 LAC) with a B+ average. I think the size of the school and the nature of the courses (very laxed gen ed requirements) helped alot. I still worry about him finishing assignments on time and juggling extracurriculars and a part time job, but I must say he seems to be doing just fine without his personal secretary - me.</p>
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